Expanding to the Balkans: Nizhny Novgorod IT Companies Go Global
Amid shifting global trade structures and an accelerating push for technological sovereignty, Russia’s regions are emerging as active players in international cooperation. A standout example is the Nizhny Novgorod Region, whose government recently announced plans to open representative offices for local IT firms in the Republic of Srpska.
Strategic Partnership
The initiative to establish offices of Nizhny Novgorod’s tech companies in the Balkans reflects the region’s strategy to explore new international markets. Serbian companies have already expressed readiness for joint ventures.
“We are receiving even more proposals from our Serbian partners than we initially expected,” said Dmitry Starostin, Deputy Chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Government, in a statement to TASS.
A working group created by the regional authorities has been holding weekly consultations with Serbian counterparts over the past three months, preparing local IT firms to showcase their export-ready solutions.
Expanding Geography of Cooperation
The region already has a solid track record in international IT exports. “Companies from Nizhny Novgorod supply software, analytics systems, telecommunications, and digital marketing solutions to the Gulf countries.
Three IT firms from our region have official offices in the United Arab Emirates,” said regional governor Gleb Nikitin in February.
Last week, Nizhny Novgorod hosted the 6th International Forum on Foreign Economic Activity, attended by more than 500 participants — including officials and business leaders from nine countries, such as India, China, Senegal, and the Republic of Srpska.
A Broader Trend in Russian Tech
The Balkans expansion is part of a wider trend. Russian IT companies are increasingly active in global markets. In 2023, Yandex opened its largest international office in Belgrade. Two weeks ago, the Skolkovo Foundation (part of VEB.RF Group) and Dubai Internet City — the Middle East’s largest tech hub — signed an agreement to give Russian IT startups a pathway to international growth.
Russia is steadily building a model of 'technological sovereignty with an export focus,' developing homegrown solutions not just for import substitution but also for friendly foreign markets. Nizhny Novgorod, with its strong engineering schools and IT clusters, is well-positioned for this mission. Its success could serve as a blueprint for other innovation-driven regions like Tatarstan, Sverdlovsk, and Tomsk.
Economic Impact
For the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the initiative brings measurable economic benefits — from new contracts and job creation in the IT sector to greater investment inflows and university-industry collaboration. For businesses, it opens new market opportunities abroad. Adapting to global standards pushes Russian companies to improve quality and competitiveness, which ultimately strengthens the domestic tech ecosystem.
For Russia as a whole, regional IT exports diversify the economy and reduce dependence on resource sectors. Nizhny Novgorod’s IT push toward the Balkans and the Middle East highlights a broader national shift from domestic digitalization to exporting digital expertise — a defining feature of Russia’s evolving digital economy.
