Hoofhearted
Member
is Kaliningrad accessible by train from Lithuania or Poland nowadays?
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Kaliningrad
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StephenHunter
Established Member
I don't think so due to sanctions against RZD.
And if the OP has a British Passport I'm not sure they'd be able to get a Visa to get into Russia anyway...
miklcct
On Moderation
Is the privileged transit traffic (Moscow - Kaliningrad not stopping in the EU) still running?
I believe the RZD trains still run through Lithuania but don't pick up/set down. I did the the trip Vilnius to Kaliningrad a few years ago and was definitely an object of interest joining there, and an even bigger object of interest for the FSB at the border. Interesting place when I got there!
StephenHunter
Established Member
There's a technical stop and IIRC the Lithuanians put up posters there showing war damage in Ukraine.
doc7austin
Member
The question is what you mean by the term accessible ?
Sanctions had a very little effect on those trains.
In fact due to a special treaty between the EU and Russia -> sanctions cannot be applied by the EU. Lithuania tried, but was called back by the EU Commission.
Russian passengers still run through Latvia and Lithuania to reach Kaliningrad.
It was actually COVID-19 that prompted the authorities in Lithuania to not allow passenger entry/exit at Vilnius railway station.
Last Saturday a Russian passenger train made a technical stop in Vilnius, as being documented in my recent video from minute 06:00 :
Another point - there has been reports that passenger entry/exit from these Russian passenger trains is "tolerated" by Lithuanian border guards at the border crossings points into Kaliningrad Oblast and Belarus.
Cloud Strife
Established Member
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One important thing to note about these trains is that they aren't corridor trains in the traditional sense. Passengers still need a special transit visa, and they are still checked on both entry and exit from Lithuania.
Trains haven't operated from Poland to Kaliningrad for years, not since at least 2012. The death knell of these trains was in 2003 however, when Poland started to apply stricter visa requirements to Russian citizens.
Trains haven't operated from Poland to Kaliningrad for years, not since at least 2012. The death knell of these trains was in 2003 however, when Poland started to apply stricter visa requirements to Russian citizens.
Norm_D_Ploom
Member
Does it still feel like Königsberg ?
farci
Member
Here’s a one year old YouTube video posted by a Russian traveller
The railway station does. The rest of the city, however, requires a lot more imagination
duesselmartin
Established Member
Cathedral was also restored in the rest of the city and oblast is a mess.
You can travel by train to Braniewo in Poland and then make your own way the short distance across the border and then take the train from Mamonovo to Kaliningrad so it can still be done mostly be train.
Braniewo in Poland to Mamonovo in Russia are very close to each other so you could probably just take two short taxi rides each side of the border.
I would say that this is probably the simplest way to cross the border by train these days.
Braniewo in Poland to Mamonovo in Russia are very close to each other so you could probably just take two short taxi rides each side of the border.
I would say that this is probably the simplest way to cross the border by train these days.
StephenHunter
Established Member
The bridge problem got solved permanently as well.
themiller
Member
Didn’t I read in the media recently that foreigners in Russia (which I assume includes Kaliningrad) are possibly going to get free visits to Ukraine? I’d be wary of crossing the border into Russian territory for a while.
Cloud Strife
Established Member
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You'd need to get the taxi to go through both Polish and Russian border controls, as there's no possibility of walking from the border line itself. It may even be prohibited on the Russian side to exit your car at the checkpoint.
67thave
Member
The only reason to be concerned would be if a foreign national holds dual Russian citizenship, which would then make them eligible for the draft.
I'd be more concerned about Russia's disconnection from the global banking system than anything else.
Vespa
Established Member
Is it wise for a British citizen to visit Russia in the current climate ?
I've seen reports now and again that guest workers, who have a poor command of Russian particularly written Russian, have been tricked into signing enlistment papers. But yes I would tend to agree that the only people who probably have to really worry about ending up drafted are those who hold dual citizenship. If you're a male aged 18 or over you'd have to be barmy to go to Russia right now if you're a citizen even if you hold citizenship elsewhere.
FCDO certainly advise against all travel to Russia which means you won't get, without getting very expensive specialised, travel insurance which already makes it quite unwise even discounting the wider political issues that mean that you could easily end up in all sorts of grief with the Russian authorities. But I'm not sure the Russians would even issue you a visa to be honest!
nwales58
Member
You might get a visa, if Russia wants to acquire some bargaining chips to trade for something our government has that they would like back.
Official 1 (FSB): Welcome, come and photograph our trains and infrastructure.
Official 2 (also FSB): You're under arrest. Your photographs prove you are a spy.
Official 1 (FSB): Welcome, come and photograph our trains and infrastructure.
Official 2 (also FSB): You're under arrest. Your photographs prove you are a spy.
Yep! That's certainly the other option!