Businessmen of St. Petersburg are fleeing to the region, and the governor hopes for them

Governor Alexander Beglov recently said that he very much hopes for the help of St. Petersburg entrepreneurs in the new economic conditions. In his opinion, the ability of business to flexibly adapt to changes can help St. Petersburg in "solving difficult tasks." He announced this in the telegram channel, mentioning among the support measures the moratorium established until the end of the year for various inspections.

However, numerous publications hastened to remind Beglov that the increased "flight" of business to the Leningrad region and other regions of the country is connected precisely with his political initiatives in the previous period. The restrictions that the business of the Northern Capital has been subjected to over the past few years, which are not based on rational arguments, have already formed the corresponding reputation of the mayor. Whether Beglov's hopes are justified is a rhetorical question. 

It is known that a significant part of entrepreneurs managed to survive bankruptcy during the pandemic.

It was often caused by inspections and various raids that the administration of St. Petersburg arranged on the initiative of the leadership. In total, in 2020 and 2021, about 22 thousand business entities engaged in small and medium-sized enterprises were liquidated in the city. 

Experts point out that in June last year there were more than 190.5 thousand organizations operating in St. Petersburg. Currently, only 183.2 thousand are working. 

In just one year, more than 7 thousand companies left the city for the region.

It was necessary to save the business of the Northern capital from financial collapse independently, and not thanks to local officials. The latter are criticized for the apparent lack of support measures. The easing introduced by the regional authorities often turned out to be only a belated reaction to the direct appeal of business to the head of state. 

Boldly declaring his "hopes" for business, Beglov was also reminded that it was not he and his team who imposed the moratorium, but the head of the country's government, Mikhail Mishustin. Therefore, it is not very correct to declare this measure as a boon bestowed by the authorities of the Northern Capital to urban business. In addition, the outflow of business continues. Now representatives of IT companies are already "fleeing" from the city. According to experts, since February, St. Petersburg has lost about 70 thousand industry specialists.