In fact, the U.S. State Department has issued travel warnings for Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus because of possible Y2K disruptions. The department authorized voluntary departure for U.S. embassy employees and their families during the time Y2K problems may occur. The warnings mention in particular possible disruptions in electricity and heating. Two Thousand, this would be a problem. Since awareness of the issue arose, firms and governments have spent billions of dollars to adjust to it.
Some analysts believe that many others have come up with too little too late.
Nick Gogarty is a senior analyst with International Monitoring, a technology consulting group based in Britain. His business is to tell international corporations what to expect from Y2K in countries around the world. The vast majority of people in, let's say, a highly agricultural-based economy may not have immediate concerns. They may find the markets for their products might experience some added volatility due to either shipping or other constraints in terms of technological points of delivery and service, like ports and transportation. But in terms of their day to day lives, they may not notice a difference.