4 ms·

If you've ever been near a russian land border, you'd know sneaking ain't an option - they're still very much into their 30 foot razor wire fences, and mile wid

by madaxe 13y ago

If you've ever been near a russian land border, you'd know sneaking ain't an option - they're still very much into their 30 foot razor wire fences, and mile wide minefields. AFAIK, the only borders which aren't demarked as such are those which ramble across incredibly inhospitable desert, which serves the same purpose as razor wire and mines.

rfctr 13y ago
> 30 foot razor wire fences, and mile wide minefields. LOL OMFG! MILE WIDE !!! MINEFIELDS !!! May be the confusion is with USA-Mexico border? o_O
- madaxe 13y ago
  No, I knew exactly where I was, each and every time I drove into Russia. Pretty hard to confuse with the USA.
DominikR 13y ago
I'd suggest you look up Russia and the length of its border on Google Maps and then think again about the feasibility of razor wire fences and mile wide minefields.
- madaxe 13y ago
  I'd suggest you go there and see with your own eyes? I'm not sure what your point is. Feasibility isn't really something the USSR ever factored in.
  - DominikR 13y ago
    Do you have any proof for your hilarious claims? In numerous Wikipedia articles about Russias border there was no mention of fences and minefields as current security measures, other than in some conflict zones like Georgia. Also, all that I see on Google Maps satellite images is farmland without any visible security on both sides of the border. (for example: https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d8021!2d60.640099!3d50.6614726!2m1!1e3&fid=7 https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d8021!2d...)
    - madaxe 13y ago
      Apart from having fucking been there, and having photos of such, no. Admittedly, my experiences have been Ukraine/Russia, Belarus/Russia, Kaz/Russia, Latvia/Russia, and in each and every case there's been an exclusion zone. The "farmland" you see is in no-mans land, between security fences, which have mines along their inside faces at a minimum. Re: the link you've posted, that's one of the aforementioned "so inhospitable it doesn't matter" areas. I've been to Aktobe (just down the road from your link), and it's indescribable how butt-fuck nowhere it is. ~£20 for a salad that wouldn't fill a mouse, but £0.02 for a bottle of vodka and a steak. Oh and there's a bowling alley with DDR. Go figure. Nothing grows out there. 52 C in the summer, -30 C in the winter. An over-land trip by foot through that area is death. Here are two photos of that neck of the woods - welcome to check the EXIF. http://imgur.com/kFvjXHy,B16ieLf http://imgur.com/kFvjXHy,B16ieLf The other outstanding feature of Russian borders is the wreckage of failed crossing attempts - there's always the winning combination of burned out cars in fields surrounding any crossing point, along with a cemetery for those who didn't make it across. They take their border security seriously. Getting a gun pointed at you is standard procedure. Again, you're more than welcome to argue with someone who's actually been across Russian land borders, on many occasions, but that's your prerogative entirely.
      - DominikR 13y ago
        What are you talking about, there is clearly ongoing agricultural activities on both sides of the border! Ukraine/Russia (farmland): https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d4036!2d36.663304!3d50.222468!2m1!1e3&fid=7 https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d4036!2d... Belarus/Russia (nothing): https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d3707!2d31.8466426!3d53.9153166!2m1!1e3&fid=7 https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d3707!2d... So lets recap: You are unable to produce any proof. Nothing can be seen on satellite imagery. There is no mention of minefields and fences on Wikipedia or any other credible source.
        madaxe 13y ago
        Yeah, as I said, the farmland is within no-mans-land. It's farmed by permit holders who are allowed to go within there - usually subsistence farmers, some (no official figures, but met a few) of whom are stateless and have been trapped in the exclusion zone since glasnost. There are minefields wrapped around the security fences. You're welcome to go for a walk across there, and see what happens.

by madaxe 13y ago

rfctr 13y ago

> 30 foot razor wire fences, and mile wide minefields. LOL OMFG! MILE WIDE !!! MINEFIELDS !!! May be the confusion is with USA-Mexico border? o_O

madaxe 13y ago
No, I knew exactly where I was, each and every time I drove into Russia. Pretty hard to confuse with the USA.

DominikR 13y ago

I'd suggest you look up Russia and the length of its border on Google Maps and then think again about the feasibility of razor wire fences and mile wide minefields.

madaxe 13y ago
I'd suggest you go there and see with your own eyes? I'm not sure what your point is. Feasibility isn't really something the USSR ever factored in.
- DominikR 13y ago
  Do you have any proof for your hilarious claims? In numerous Wikipedia articles about Russias border there was no mention of fences and minefields as current security measures, other than in some conflict zones like Georgia. Also, all that I see on Google Maps satellite images is farmland without any visible security on both sides of the border. (for example: https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d8021!2d60.640099!3d50.6614726!2m1!1e3&fid=7 https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d8021!2d...)
  - madaxe 13y ago
    Apart from having fucking been there, and having photos of such, no. Admittedly, my experiences have been Ukraine/Russia, Belarus/Russia, Kaz/Russia, Latvia/Russia, and in each and every case there's been an exclusion zone. The "farmland" you see is in no-mans land, between security fences, which have mines along their inside faces at a minimum. Re: the link you've posted, that's one of the aforementioned "so inhospitable it doesn't matter" areas. I've been to Aktobe (just down the road from your link), and it's indescribable how butt-fuck nowhere it is. ~£20 for a salad that wouldn't fill a mouse, but £0.02 for a bottle of vodka and a steak. Oh and there's a bowling alley with DDR. Go figure. Nothing grows out there. 52 C in the summer, -30 C in the winter. An over-land trip by foot through that area is death. Here are two photos of that neck of the woods - welcome to check the EXIF. http://imgur.com/kFvjXHy,B16ieLf http://imgur.com/kFvjXHy,B16ieLf The other outstanding feature of Russian borders is the wreckage of failed crossing attempts - there's always the winning combination of burned out cars in fields surrounding any crossing point, along with a cemetery for those who didn't make it across. They take their border security seriously. Getting a gun pointed at you is standard procedure. Again, you're more than welcome to argue with someone who's actually been across Russian land borders, on many occasions, but that's your prerogative entirely.
    - DominikR 13y ago
      What are you talking about, there is clearly ongoing agricultural activities on both sides of the border! Ukraine/Russia (farmland): https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d4036!2d36.663304!3d50.222468!2m1!1e3&fid=7 https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d4036!2d... Belarus/Russia (nothing): https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d3707!2d31.8466426!3d53.9153166!2m1!1e3&fid=7 https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d3707!2d... So lets recap: You are unable to produce any proof. Nothing can be seen on satellite imagery. There is no mention of minefields and fences on Wikipedia or any other credible source.
      - madaxe 13y ago
        Yeah, as I said, the farmland is within no-mans-land. It's farmed by permit holders who are allowed to go within there - usually subsistence farmers, some (no official figures, but met a few) of whom are stateless and have been trapped in the exclusion zone since glasnost. There are minefields wrapped around the security fences. You're welcome to go for a walk across there, and see what happens.