Updates with clarification from VK source.Russian tech giant VK Group is requiring its workers based abroad go back to the nation as lawmakers think about a legal ban on remote work, investigative media reported Thursday, pointing out sources knowledgeable about the matter.The federal government approximates that 100,000 IT employees-- or 10% of the countrys tech labor force-- have left Russia considering that the intrusion of Ukraine and a partial mobilization of reserves last year, though some 80,000 IT professionals continue to work for Russian companies from abroad.Two unnamed sources close to VKs management told the Mozhem Obyasnit investigative outlet that the company has actually ordered foreign-based staff members to go back to Russia or face dismissal.One of the sources attributed the demand to issues of server security and a desire to prevent leaks.

Another linked it to prepared legislation that would prohibit remote work for specific occupations, which would work as grounds to fire VK employees who decline to go back to Russia.The layoffs could also assist rid VK of at-risk workers if the Russian military launches a widely rumored 2nd mobilization campaign to contribute to its manpower in Ukraine, the 2nd source saidThe business fears that remote workers could intentionally sabotage VK if their relative are prepared into the army, they added.Explaining the demand, a VK source told Forbes Russia that some of its workers were needed to work from the workplace to ensure information security and that the business didnt plan to fire workers who wished to remain abroad, and would be using them transfers to tasks with no access to sensitive info instead.While IT workers were among the classifications of people excused from Russias first mobilization in the fall, there were numerous reported cases of tech workers being handed draft papers anyway.VK Group reportedly prepares to make the demand public by late March.VK, which uses more than 10,000 individuals, owns the popular Mail.ru email and news services along with the VKontakte and Odnoklassniki social media networks, amongst others.The group is anticipated to purchase Yandex, Russias biggest search engine and news aggregator.

The revealed sale, which undergoes government approval, has sparked worries that Russians might lose access to a few of the couple of staying independent media outlets that have actually not yet been banned or closed down since the Ukraine invasion.VK CEO Vladimir Kirienko is the child of Sergei Kirienko, the deputy head of President Vladimir Putins administration.