Poland and Ukraine are the primary beneficiaries of the exodus of up to 20% of Belarus’ 70,000 IT workers over the last year,

AFP reports in a story headlined “Belarus IT sector hit by exodus after post-vote crackdown.” Massive protests erupted last August after Alexander Lukashenko declared himself president after election widely seen as fraudulent. To stay in power, Lukashenko unleashed police violence against protesters. Looking ahead, Sergei Lavrinenko, a Minsk-based IT expert, predicts to AFP: “People will leave, slowly but steadily.”