[rumcajz]

There's another thing going on in parallel, namely, physical separation of elites from the rest. You may not agree with Charles Murray's political worldview, but the first part of Coming Apart has a nice analysis of how elites in the US aggregate in specific neighborhoods.

But the problem is much wider IMO. Consider Russia. I read that 7% of its population is living abroad. In other words, the most agile and the most able are not in the country anymore. I imagine that Putin considers this to be a good thing: All possible dissenters just pack up and leave. What's not to like?

[mc32]

For one, they take their wealth and knowledge with them which adds to brain drain and anaemic economy at home.

[Viliam1234]

But they can't take the oil wells and other natural resources with them.

That's the problem of countries with many natural resources -- they can afford to get rid of their best people.

[Fins]

That would not necessarily concern Putin too much, as the ones with brains almost by definition would not be too happy with him.

[aaron-lebo]

I know you are getting a zinger in, but yesterday's HN darling might be evidence against that:

Many scientists protested, but Elbakyan didn’t understand the outrage. As far as she was concerned, Dynasty — particularly through its funding of the LMF — had spread “propaganda against Putin and the Russian authorities.” She describes Zimin’s work through Dynasty, and the organization itself, as “anti-communist,” though she’s vague about how. Elbakyan says the foundation and Sci-Hub are “ideologically opposed,” and contends that Dynasty is somehow Sci-Hub’s capitalistic foil.

[Fins]

Actually it's exactly evidence for that -- anyone who considers "anti-communist" to be a bad thing, especially so in the ex-USSR, lacks both brains and even a single shred of human decency.

Not that I thought much of her before anyway.