vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #529 / Social life / Reading article...

Want to travel in Primorye? Hands up with passport and border pass. Federal Security Service chief Nikolai Patrushev this April issued a directive regulating border zones in the Primorsky Krai as most regional territories are considered border areas for which border passes and identification documents are now required to enter.

The directive has been recently published in the federal newspapers thus harvesting official force and public panic.

According to the new directive, the cities of Vladivostok, Nakhodka and Artyom are not considered border territories. However, most settlements of Pozharsky, Dalnerechensky, Lesozavodsky, Kirovsky, Spassky, Chernigovsky, Khorolsky, Khankaisky, Pogranichny, Oktyabrsky, Ussurisky, Nadezhdinsky, Khasansky, Shkotovsky, Partizansky, Lazovsky, Olginsky, Terneisky, Dalnegorsky Counties are in the ‘border area’ list. All Primorye islands except Russky and Popov are also claimed to be border zones.

Travelers from all of Russia who intended to spend their vacation time by the sea in Primorye were puzzled and irritated. In some of the worst cases they were fined and sent back, local news reports said.

“Our border guards could not have taken fines for absence of border passes because we have not started to implement this new directive so far, “ deputy head of Primorye’s border department Vyacheslav Biryukov told reporters on Tuesday in an effort to clarify the situation. “Moreover, we will not cause any difficulties to people traveling in Primorye without passes until the end of August,” he promised.

According to Biryukov, border officials are currently waiting for specific details as to the new directive from Moscow. “I think we will have them by the end of this month and then the whole procedure of issuing border passes to residents will be clear,” he said.

Residents intending to go to border areas need to fill-out applications outlining their destination, the aim of the visit and supply a copy of an identification document, Biryukov said. Foreigners should follow the same procedure to obtain a pass. The pass is free of charge.

According to Biryukov, issuing a pass may take from 10 to 15 days. Asked about possible hordes of travelers rushing to the border department’s modest lobby with a single desk to write applications and a lonely window for giving out passes, Biryukov said he sees no problem. “I have personally signed more than 600 passes these days,” he boasted, forgetting, however, to mention that Vladivostok hosts over 650,000 officially registered residents. Many of them until now enjoyed free travel across local territories.

Border guards are entitled to fine those traveling without passes beginning in September. The fine will equal about 500 rubles ($18). The guards then have the right to exclude the supposed intruder from the border zone or in case of resistance even detain him for a day in a local police precinct.

Asked about people who would not be allowed passes, Biryukov said everyone can get a pass except runaway criminals. If we consider the fact that criminals are generally not so naive to apply to border guards for passes, then the necessity to issue passes to all other residents is under huge question. “That’s federal law and we should obey it,” Biryukov said after several unsuccessful attempts to logically explain the aim of the new regulation.

“Be obedient citizens and come to us and we will issue you a pass,” he invitedly proclaimed, finalizing the briefing which actually incited more questions then useful answers.

Applications for border passes can be sent or brought to Primorye’s Border Guard Service for Russia’s Federal Security Service located at Svetlanskaya, 67. Contact telephone and fax 22-29-66.