The intellect exodus remains a phenomenon of the XX–XXI century, its study being especially valid now because the effects it can generate are unpredictable, contradictory and sometimes quite difficult to perceive. The migration of highly educated people across international borders, most often from relatively poor countries of origin to relatively rich recipient countries requires particular attention and close monitoring. The article examines patterns of recent emigration of the highly-educated from developing countries, and particularly from Moldova – the “brain drain”. The purpose of this paper is to assess the issue that is caused by highly educated and skilled migration, and to try to analyze the impact of this phenomenon on the economic development of the countries of destinations and on the origin countries. Also, in article is shown the global action and solutions undertaken by the authorities in the Republic of Moldova to stem the brain drain. The paper predominantly uses the analysis method to expose and explain the phenomenon of intellectual migration from an economic perspective. Synthesis is used as a research method to highlight and present the links between brain drain and the economic development of a state.

This  paper  discusses  the  key  characteristics  of  the  migration  situation  and  overall  trends  in  the  migration processes in the Republic of Moldova. Practically, many of the former Soviet republics were faced with serious social and economic problems. Economical systems of new post-soviet countries were  ill-equipped  to  handle  new  borders  and  customs  barriers.  As  the  “multi-national  state”  was  dissolved, the majority of new post-Soviet states struggled with ethnic conflicts, which triggered the first  wave  of  the  so-called  “great  escape”  of  the  population.  In  Moldova’s  case,  the  Transnistrian  conflict was a classic example of such a civilizational crisis, the solution to which was not found to date. The first wave of the “great escape” was triggered by the hard situation of the national identity formation.  The  “second  wave”  was  a  reaction  to  an  increasingly  poor  economic  situation.  Today,  the formation of the “third wave of great escape” becomes increasingly more evident – perhaps the last one for the Moldavian state. This “third wave” is also connected with integrational processes, mostly  in  the  European  Union  countries.  The  second  part  of  the  article  analyses  the  relationship  between the economic development of the Republic of Moldova and the current migration situation. In general, despite a number of positive changes, such as the reduction of the critical high level of dependence of the economy on financial remittances of Moldovan migrant workers, the level of such dependence  remains  very  high,  and  the  speed  of  development  of  the  Moldovan  economy,  on  the  contrary, is significantly reduced. The paper concludes with four main factors that, in the author’s opinion, are critical for the analysis of the current negative migration situation in the Republic of Moldova,  as  well  as  those  that  may  become  key  factors  that  will  have  a  significant  impact  on  the strengthening of the negative socio-economic situation in the country and the systemic crisis in the future 2035–2040.