In my opinion, the dominance of post-USSR countries (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus) among makers/hunters is not surprising at all, and can be explained by a somewhat inflated, romanticized, almost evangelistic view on computer technologies in these countries.
The computer technologies and associated market could freely develop in those countries after the USSR collapse in 1992. This tendency was fueled by the abundance of high quality STEM education traditionally available in the region. (Historically, STEM education was subsidized by the USSR government and its military ambitions.)
I believe that the digital evangelism arose due to exceptional freedom of IT companies in those countries. While other, more traditional industries have been raided and decimated by their own corrupt governments, the IT sector remained out of reach of dirty hands.
Those circumstances gave the IT industry in the post-Soviet countries a significant advantage. It was a melting pot of new ideas, makers, universities, companies and startups.
Since then, however, the dynamics changed due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. A lot of companies already committed an exodus to other jurisdictions, while remaining companies will be forced to make it in the future.
The computer technologies and associated market could freely develop in those countries after the USSR collapse in 1992. This tendency was fueled by the abundance of high quality STEM education traditionally available in the region. (Historically, STEM education was subsidized by the USSR government and its military ambitions.)
I believe that the digital evangelism arose due to exceptional freedom of IT companies in those countries. While other, more traditional industries have been raided and decimated by their own corrupt governments, the IT sector remained out of reach of dirty hands.
Those circumstances gave the IT industry in the post-Soviet countries a significant advantage. It was a melting pot of new ideas, makers, universities, companies and startups.
Since then, however, the dynamics changed due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. A lot of companies already committed an exodus to other jurisdictions, while remaining companies will be forced to make it in the future.