They are trying to. Check out the "Skolkovo innovation center". Hopefully some day in the future you'll be buying smartphones and running software from my country, and people will stop asking me if my parents are alcoholics and if I want some raw potatoes.
But 'tis enough ranting, my borsch is getting cold.
Skolkovo is just another way to steal money from the taxpayers under the guise of innovation. Which they already did: $3.72 billion dollars (125 bullion rubles).
It's like asking why US sends drug dealers to jail instead of making them pharmacists.
In 99.999% cases you don't need to know assembly language to start a company. But you have to know or be able to figure out many other things which these kids have absolutely no idea about.
From what I understand, Russia has a good ecosystem going for technology startups. They excel at security, among other disciplines. Perhaps the question should involve how we all educate our young people on the matters of harming others who aren't as good at one thing as you are.
