Just spoke with a recently retired Umba and Kandalaksha procecutor. Asked him about what happens to foreigners caught in the “no foreigner” zones such as Umba or Sredny/Rybachy peninsula. The answer was that such cases have been extremely rare and that no consequences beyond a small fine and 2-3 hours at the police station can be expected. The fact that these areas are not clearly marked takes most of the blame off the offender, he said. But remember his was retired! And the trend in the last few years has been towards “tightening the nuts”. But my impression based on the conversation is that getting into these zones is not such a big deal.
Kandalaksha+
The City of Kandalaksha, Murmansk oblast, and its vicinity. Getting there, where to stay, what to do. The ultimate source of Kandalaksha and area info in English.
Ok, so I’ll bring nautical charts, a satellite telephone, parachute signal flares, and a GPS global positioning system device to Sredny peninsula, all in a compact camouflage backpack.
That would be like teasing the dogs..
…we get “caught” early this year in the Mezen zone and it happened exactly as your friend told you: polite police and army people who brought us to the nearest station, filling in some documents, tea, coffee and biscuits, took of course some hours and a polite warning for the future. No consequences at all. wbr John
I’d be interested to know under what circumstances you got caught. Random document check? Access control booth? Something else?
…just somewhere stopped along a road Paul and indeed, checking papers and we were not allowed to travel on freely in that zone. Anyway, very annoying for free living and moving human beings w/love in their hearts but very, very polite police and army guys.
wbr, John