Valentin Makarov: Almost Every Country Wants to Know How Russia Succeeded in Replacing Imported IT

Valentin Makarov, president of the RUSSOFT Association of Software Developers, has his own perspective on this issue. He helped establish the association, which now brings together around 400 IT companies operating in Russia and abroad. Few people understand as well as he does the importance of homegrown technologies, their export potential, and the opportunities cross-border partnerships offer for sharing cutting-edge innovations. A reporter for the IT Russia media platform caught up with Makarov at the forum to ask him a few questions.

– Valentin Leonidovich, what are your impressions of the forum?

– I was pleased by the number of people who traveled from different countries to attend the Global Digital Forum, as well as by the caliber of the participants. The delegations include representatives of both businesses and government agencies, with many ministers responsible for information technology and communications. This shows just how much interest there is in digitalization itself and in the opportunities Russia offers. Countries in the Middle East, Asia, and the Global South see considerable potential in partnering with Russia to establish a new center of technological leadership. And I believe that is a realistic prospect.

– Where is the line between achieving technological sovereignty and remaining open to the world and new technologies? How can countries strike the right balance?

– Let us look at a practical example. Suppose a country obtains a software product from Russia and uses it as the basis for developing its own solution, tailored to its understanding of security and sovereignty. This gives the country a degree of independence in the event of geopolitical tensions. It can continue developing the technology and replicate it on a larger scale. At the same time, access to external markets and cross-border exchanges create opportunities for further development and increased production. That advantage outweighs the desire for absolute autonomy and helps strike a balance between openness to the world and keeping domestic systems closed. Russia, incidentally, shares a common regulatory framework and standards with all BRICS+ countries, making it possible to adopt advanced technologies.

– In your view, which countries offer Russia the greatest opportunities for productive cooperation in high technology today?

– I see that virtually every country with a population of more than 70 million to 90 million is eager to understand how Russia managed to succeed so dramatically in replacing imported information technology. American and European vendors abruptly stopped supporting the products we had been using in Russia before 2022. Yet nothing collapsed. Instead, their withdrawal became the starting point for the rapid development of Russian IT companies.

Now everyone is turning to us. But they do not simply want our technology. They tell us that if we sell them software as a “black box,” they will become dependent on us. No one wants technological dependence anymore. What countries want now is a new model in which software comes with the expertise to use and develop it: technology transfer, knowledge transfer, and local production. Friendly countries want to join forces with Russia to develop IT products that can compete with American offerings, for example.

The idea of technological cooperation is gaining traction among countries seeking a more influential place in the world. These are the countries we work with: India, Brazil, and, to some extent, China, which is interested in certain technologies that Russia already possesses. Broadly speaking, that means the BRICS countries, along with Vietnam and Indonesia. ASEAN members are also keen to become more independent. They fear that one day certain systems could be switched off, leaving everything inoperable, as happened in Russia. This shared drive to achieve technological sovereignty in partnership with Russia is now particularly strong. I believe that this is the direction we should pursue.