Berlin - Bischkek - Berlin
 

Hi.
I have a few questions regarding the safety of traveling from Georgia (Stepantsminda) to Russia (Vladikavkaz) through Dagestan, Astrakhan, and Kazakhstan. Are there any potential problems expected on this route? I plan to cross the border into Russia on June 5th.
Are there any other Riders in this wonderful community who wants to ride the same way which i could join for a while?
It would be great to have some company while riding through Russia and possibly Kazakhstan, on my way to Uzbekistan.

My name is Wieland, and I'm 35 years old. This is my first motorcycle tour. In the past, most of my adventures were sailing boats or riding bicycle.
Now, I'm embarking on a long journey that will span 4.5 months and cover 20,000 km. It's all because of an old dream of mine to travel the Pamir region, particularly Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
I started my tour in Berlin on May 2, 2023, passing through the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
Currently, I'm on my way to Georgia and anticipate arriving in Tbilisi on June 2nd or 3rd."
My plan is to reach the Pamir Highway by June 15th and arrive in Bishkek by July 15th. After Bishkek, I will be heading back to Germany.
Would be really nice to hear something from someone.

Hi Willi,

that sounds like a great adventure. I believe we have been in contact via the fb group "Overland to Asia" and already found that we have a similar route but a little different schedules.

Anyway, we wish you a great ride and would be more than happy to hear about your experiences going through Russia.

Best wishes from Erzurum
Max and Eva

I cannot provide you with any advice on the logistics of the route itself because I have no experience with the route.

BUT... I do strongly suggest you check with the government of your country of citizenship and find out what their advice is for citizens who are thinking of entering Russia.

There is a conflict taking place between Russia and Ukraine, and many 'Western' countries (meaning, countries who are viewed by Russia as supporting Ukraine in the conflict) have advised their citizens to avoid travel to Russia because of the risk to their citizens in Russia, and the inability of the country to provide consular support to their citizens if they are detained in Russia.

I'm pretty sure that just about all Western & Central European countries have advised their citizens against non-essential travel to Russia at this time. For sure, Canada and the USA have done so.

This article (might be behind a paywall) discusses recent advice from the Foreign Office of Germany advising their citizens to avoid travel to Russia following the detention of a German citizen by Russian authorities: Germany Advises Against Travel to Russia Following Arrest of Wall Street Journal Reporter

Here is a similar article, not behind a paywall: Germany advises citizens against travel to Russia (February 27, 2023)

Finally - plain old common sense suggests that it is not a good idea to make a non-essential tourist trip to a country that is heavily engaged in a hot war. Wait until the war ends, then do your tourist trip.

[just read up on info, I see that I made a bad suggestion here, so deleted ;)]

Wouldn't it be plain old common sense to assume that people, who want to cross Russia these days, have done their homework and red all of that? ;)

If the person is an experienced traveller, that's a reasonable assumption.

But, if you re-read the original post, you will see that the OP stated that this is his first motorcycle tour, and that he is planning to spend 4.5 months on the road and cover 20,000 km. That's pretty ambitious for a first tour. Clearly, he's new to this, and equally clearly, he's asking for advice.

His profile indicates that he is a citizen of Germany, and the German foreign office has issued very explicit warnings about non-essential travel to Russia. That, combined with Germany's position and actions related to the conflict in Ukraine is more than enough to warrant further investigation & careful consideration of the risks involved before the OP begins his trip.

Michael

what about the moral and ethical side of the trip?
russia kills sleeping children with rockets in Ukraine every night in the all citys.
spending money in russia as a tourist you support the bloody power of russia.
in addition, there is a high risk of being detained by the FSB by the russian special services as a spy or simply as a citizen of a European (enemy) country...

It's not for any of us to comment on the morals or ethics of the trip.

The original poster asked for advice about safety and possible problems. He didn't ask for opinions about morals or ethics.

We avoid judgemental discussions like the plague here, because everyone has their own opinions, and to be honest, none of us are interested in political or philosophical discussions, regardless of what our private opinions might be. We come here to talk about long-distance travel. There are many other sites on the internet where participants can talk about politics, ethics, and morals.

I have to say - you are sounding like a member of the IOC.

But without the corruption..... :innocent:

It's not that I don't have opinions on the morality or ethics (or wisdom) of the trip.

The key issue is that we try very hard to keep political discussions out of the HUBB, and keep the focus on travel. No-one comes here to get into fights, and that's usually what happens when people start discussing political, moral, or ethical issues.

In other words, let's continue to restrict the focus of the forum to what the forum was set up to discuss - travel.

Michael

Hi WLND. I hope you managed to do this trip. It sounds fascinating. We are considering the same in summer 24. If so, can you share your route and experiences? Many thanks