14:38, 01 January 2026

Amir Khamitov: “Cyber Competitions Are Building the Talent Base for the IT Economy”

In 2025, Russia held several large-scale robotics and programming competitions, which experts say are helping to form a new pool of IT talent.

Thousands of participants from across Russia and other countries took part in the Battle of Robots competition and other domestic cyber tournaments in 2025. The events were held in several stages across different cities. School students, university students, and adults competed in both individual and team categories. In the Battle of Robots alone, 450 participants from eight countries took part. In RuCode, an international championship in algorithmic programming, 787 teams from 50 countries competed.

Russian competitors often perform strongly at such tournaments, frequently taking all the top places, reflecting a high level of training and a solid educational foundation. According to Amir Khamitov, a State Duma deputy and deputy chair of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sport, large-scale competitions are not just games but “a full-fledged tool for building a talent pipeline for the digital economy and high-tech industries.”

“When thousands of participants from different regions of Russia and other countries come together in one space, an environment emerges where knowledge is immediately turned into practice and ideas into real technological solutions,” Khamitov said. “On a broader level, such initiatives are transforming both the IT landscape and the education system. First, they shift the focus from theory to applied skills – teamwork, project-based thinking, and the ability to adapt quickly to new technologies. Second, they create a clear pathway from school student or university student to engineer, developer, or entrepreneur. This is especially important at a time when the country needs its own technological solutions and a sustainable talent base.”

Programming Reaches Rural Schools

For the education system, these changes signal the need to update curricula and teaching formats. Schools, colleges, and universities are increasingly integrating robotics, programming, and engineering modules into the learning process, while business and the state are beginning to speak to educators in a shared language of concrete tasks and measurable results.

“This practice can be scaled in several ways. First, by expanding the geography and involving small towns and rural areas so that talent does not depend on place of residence. Second, by strengthening ties with the real economy, where the best projects receive support, mentoring, and opportunities for implementation. And of course, it is important to develop international cooperation. Such competitions are becoming platforms for technological dialogue and for strengthening Russia’s position as one of the centers for developing digital and engineering competencies,” Khamitov said.

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