The short answer
The five largest software and IT companies headquartered in Russia, ranked by reported number of employees, are Yandex, VK, Kaspersky, Positive Technologies and 1C Company. Yandex is the largest, with about 36,991 employees (2025). We could verify five companies meeting our criteria, so this list is shorter than ten rather than padded with unverified names.
The five companies at a glance
| # | Company | Headquarters | Founded | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yandex | Moscow | 1997 | 36,991 (2025) |
| 2 | VK | Moscow | 1998 | 10,000+ (2022) |
| 3 | Kaspersky | Moscow | 1997 | 5,152 (2023) |
| 4 | Positive Technologies | Moscow | 2002 | 1,200 (2023) |
| 5 | 1C Company | Moscow | 1991 | Not stated |
Ranked by the most recent employee count stated on each company’s Wikipedia article or official website, checked 24 October 2026. Years in brackets show when that figure applies; companies without a stated figure are listed last.
The companies in detail
1Yandex
MoscowRuns Russia’s largest search engine, plus maps, ride-hailing, delivery, streaming and cloud services.
- Headquarters
- Moscow
- Founded
- 1997
- Employees
- 36,991 (2025)
- Ownership
- Private (Russian assets sold by Nebius Group in 2024)
2VK
MoscowA technology group that runs the VK and Odnoklassniki social networks, Mail.ru email, messaging, games and e-commerce services.
- Headquarters
- Moscow
- Founded
- 1998
- Employees
- 10,000+ (2022)
- Ownership
- Public company
3Kaspersky
MoscowSells antivirus, endpoint protection and threat intelligence products worldwide; it faces US government restrictions, which it disputes.
- Headquarters
- Moscow
- Founded
- 1997
- Employees
- 5,152 (2023)
- Ownership
- Private
4Positive Technologies
MoscowAn information security company and Russia’s first publicly listed cybersecurity firm.
- Headquarters
- Moscow
- Founded
- 2002
- Employees
- 1,200 (2023)
- Ownership
- Public company (Moscow Exchange)
51C Company
MoscowBuilds and sells business software such as the 1C:Enterprise platform, widely used for accounting and ERP across Russia and neighbouring countries.
- Headquarters
- Moscow
- Founded
- 1991
- Employees
- Not stated
- Ownership
- Private
Also worth knowing
These companies did not make the ranking, for the reason given, but are often mentioned alongside it.
- Ozon and Wildberries: Russia’s two biggest online retailers; left out because most of their staff work in warehouses and logistics rather than software.
What this list tells us about Russia’s software industry
- Moscow is the main hub. 5 of the five companies on this list are headquartered there.
- A long track record. The oldest company here, 1C Company, was founded in 1991; the youngest, Positive Technologies, in 2002.
- Founding wave. More companies on this list were founded in the 1990s (4) than in any other decade.
- Ownership mix. 2 of the five are publicly listed and 0 are subsidiaries of, or majority-owned by, other groups; the rest are independent private companies, cooperatives or state-linked organisations.
Russia at a glance
- Capital
- Moscow
- Official languages
- Russian
- Currency
- Russian ruble (RUB)
- Population
- 146.0 million (2025 est.)
- GDP per capita (nominal)
- $19,953 (2026 est.)
Economy. The economy depends heavily on oil, natural gas and other mineral resources.
Technology. Many countries have expanded sanctions against Russia.
Country figures from Wikipedia’s article on Russia, checked 24 October 2026. Estimates are rounded and dated as stated there.
Working with software companies in Russia
- Time zone. Russia spans several time zones, from UTC+02:00 to UTC+12:00 across the year. Agree overlap hours in writing before a project starts.
- Data protection. Check which data protection law applies to any personal data you share, and put the obligations into your contract.
- Sanctions. If you are considering suppliers based in Russia, check the current sanctions and export-control rules in your own jurisdiction before signing anything.
- Due diligence. Large companies on this list mostly sell their own products or enterprise services. If you need a development partner for a specific project, ask for case studies, interview the engineers and start with a short paid trial. Our guide on how to choose an IT staff augmentation company includes a free vendor scorecard.
- Budget. Typical 2026 hourly rates by region are in our IT staff augmentation cost and rates guide.
How we built this list
- Candidates. We started from Wikipedia’s list of companies of Russia, the country’s best-known technology firms and companies regularly named in the local and international business press.
- Scope. We kept companies whose main business is software, IT services or a software-based platform, and that are headquartered in Russia. Telecom operators, banks and hardware makers were left out, as were local offices of foreign groups. Companies founded in Russia but now headquartered abroad are listed separately when relevant.
- Verification. For every company we checked headquarters, founding year, ownership, size and whether it is still active against its Wikipedia article or, where none exists, its own official website, on 24 October 2026. Each entry links to the page we checked.
- Ranking. Companies are ranked by their most recently stated number of employees, the most comparable size measure available for public and private firms alike.
- No payments. No company paid or was asked to appear. iCreativez Technologies is itself a software and IT services company, so we do not include or rank ourselves on country lists.
Employee figures come from different years, are sometimes self-reported on company websites and sometimes count a whole group rather than one company, so treat the ranking as a guide to scale rather than an exact league table.
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Software companies in nearby countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest software company in Russia?
By reported number of employees, Yandex is the largest software and IT company headquartered in Russia, with about 36,991 employees (2025). It runs Russia’s largest search engine, plus maps, ride-hailing, delivery, streaming and cloud services.
Which city is the main software hub in Russia?
Among the companies on this list, Moscow is home to the most: 5 of the five are headquartered there.
What is the oldest software company in Russia on this list?
1C Company, founded in 1991 and headquartered in Moscow.
How did you choose the software companies in Russia?
We considered the best-known companies headquartered in Russia whose main business is software or IT services. We verified each one against its Wikipedia article or official website and ranked them by reported number of employees. No company paid to be included.
Why are there fewer than 10 companies for Russia?
We only list companies we could verify. Rather than pad the list with names we cannot confirm, we show five verified companies and suggest nearby markets.
What is the economy of Russia based on?
The economy depends heavily on oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. Many countries have expanded sanctions against Russia.
What languages and currency are used for business in Russia?
The official language is Russian, and the currency is the Russian ruble (RUB).
Can I hire software developers to work with a team in Russia?
Yes. Many businesses combine local partners with remote developers. iCreativez Technologies provides dedicated developers and offshore teams that can work your hours; see our dedicated developers page or contact us.
Sources
All company details were checked on 24 October 2026 against these pages:
- Wikipedia: List of companies of Russia
- Yandex: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yandex
- VK: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VK_(company)
- Kaspersky: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspersky_Lab
- Positive Technologies: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_Technologies
- 1C Company: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1C_Company
- Wikipedia: Russia (country profile)
If you represent a company on this page and a detail has changed, contact us and we will review it. Related guides: top IT staff augmentation companies 2026 · staff augmentation vs outsourcing vs managed services.