The paper delves into the entrenched colonial legacies underpinning post-Soviet extractivism in Central Asia and the Caucasus, examining how historical and present-day patterns of resource extraction, labour exploitation, and brain drain perpetuate epistemic and material inequalities. I argue that the extractive practices inherited from colonial histories extend beyond the mere extraction of minerals and oil to encompass the extraction of knowledge, labor, and intellectual capital, exacerbating power differentials and hindering sustainable development. Drawing on anthropological insights and empirical research, I dissect the mechanisms through which colonial heritage continues to shape extractivist practices and knowledge production in the region. The paper highlights how the extraction of natural resources has been intertwined with the extraction of indigenous knowledge systems, local labour, and intellectual talent, reinforcing hierarchies that privilege Western epistemologies and institutions. By foregrounding the intersectionality of extraction—both material and epistemic—I propose pathways for decolonizing knowledge production and extractive practices. Through collaborative research methodologies that center local perspectives, promote knowledge sovereignty, and resist brain drain, I envision a reconfiguration of extractivist paradigms towards more equitable and sustainable futures. The paper is based on results from anthropological research on Central Asia (2005-2024), projects on mining shrinking cities in Caucasus and Central Asia (2015-2020), a decade research on post-Soviet economies ad migration from Central Asia to Russia (2016-2024).