Russia

Russia is the world’s largest country by area, spanning across eleven time zones from the borders of Eastern Europe all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The size of the country makes it extremely difficult to source data, but we have tried our best to bring you the most accurate portrait of freelance software development in Russia.

During the Soviet era, study of sciences was strongly supported by the government. After the fall of the USSR many talented scientists have changed their professions and downgraded into software development to make more money. Until now, computer programming remains one of a few profitable professions in Russia. Local rates remain relatively affordable in ruble terms, though the exact USD equivalent has fluctuated with the ruble’s exchange rate in recent years. It is no surprise that some of the best Russian developers look for lucrative freelancing offers abroad or move overseas.

Since 2022, sanctions imposed by the US, EU, and other governments have significantly restricted cross-border financial transactions with Russia. In July 2025, the EU expanded its existing SWIFT restrictions on listed Russian banks into a full transaction ban, meaning most standard international payment rails can no longer be used to pay Russian contractors directly. Companies considering hiring in Russia should confirm current sanctions compliance requirements before engaging any contractor.

Russia has one of the highest rates of university-educated adults in the world – the second-highest tertiary education attainment rate among OECD countries. Same goes for software engineers, with around 70% of all Russian developers having graduated from college. However, in contrast, 20% of developers do not have any IT education whatsoever.

Around 40% of Russian software engineers are fullstack developers, 20% are backend experts, and 12% focus on each frontend and mobile development.

When hiring a freelance software developer in Russia a major issue one can run into is their lack of English knowledge. Over half of Russian developers are only able to read and write in English, which can make your communication with them a bit complicated.