Gutseriev offered Russia a way to keep up with the world due to sanctions

In order to keep up with the West technologically, Russia should "not close itself off" and allow people to interact with the world, said Mikhail Gutseriev, president and founder of the Safmar Group, in an interview with Forbes .

"If the country is not closed and people can travel, can communicate, see, hear, then I don't think that we will lag behind [the West] technologically. Of course, it will be more difficult, harder, but if we don't close ourselves off, don't lock ourselves in a box, then it will be difficult [for us] to lag behind technologically," he said.

Gutseriev recalled that several thousand Russians are under personal sanctions, including entry bans, while “the rest – programmers, engineers, archaeologists, architects, simply the working class, teachers – [can travel abroad].”

"Doctors go to symposiums and conferences. We are not completely cut off, closed off from the world, like North Korea , like the Soviet Union was," he said.

At the same time, Russia feels a shortage of labor and needs specialists from abroad to come to the country. "We sometimes even have to go to other countries, look for welders, look for fitters, highly qualified turners... Everyone says: programmer, boss, lawyer, but today a welder is more valuable than a lawyer and a programmer. I know this for sure: today a highly qualified welder in Russia is much more valuable to me," he noted.

"Therefore, if we are open, if we do not lock ourselves in, but on the contrary, encourage our people, stimulate them to leave, stimulate them to study there, we will not lag behind technologically. If we engage in rabid propaganda that the West is bad, that the West is all gays (the "LGBT international public movement" is recognized as extremist in Russia and is banned), and lock ourselves in - that our education is the best, that we are the best - then we will lock ourselves in, then we will have big problems in the future," Gutseriev said.

The businessman ranks 38th in the publication's ranking of the richest Russians with a fortune of $3.7 billion.

In order to avoid falling behind in technology, Russia must, ignoring sanctions , send young people to study in the areas most in demand for industry and science, the entrepreneur believes.

"And we need a lot, starting from electronics, space and many other things. Yes, we have learned and will learn to sew shirts - it is not difficult, and baking buns is not difficult, but everything else is difficult, so young people should be sent abroad - they will study, come here and stay here," he added.

Gutseriev acknowledged that some of the trained youth will ultimately want to stay abroad. However, the majority, in his opinion, will return to their homeland.

Moscow believes that the West is trying to isolate Russia politically and economically. However, such isolation is impossible, the Kremlin believes.

No state will seek isolation on its own, stressed the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov . Russia also does not seek to close itself off from the world, said the head of state Vladimir Putin .

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