The world can be cruel to the holder of a red passport with the hammer and sickle on it. It's not just that the Russian state is probably the most effective in the world when it comes to humiliating its own citizens. Any time you are beyond its jurisdiction, the level of humiliation can be raised to even greater levels. Just visit any Western embassy with a Russian passport and try to get a visa. You might soon realize that it is better not to be born at all than to be born Russian.
Ten years ago I spent every night with headphones on, browsing the airwaves produced by the then-faraway mysterious free world. I spent hours listening to Radio Liberty, the BBC and Voice of America. So what was the message being sent to me and fellow victims of the country's isolationist policy? Escape from the paws of the totalitarian bear and the world would be open to you: You could see Australia and Brazil, travel, find jobs and live any way you wished.
Am I the kind of Russian who thinks only of how to run away from his country? No, I am not that kind, because I only want to travel, but with as few restrictions as possible. I don't understand why I cannot now enter the countries that claim to be democracies without invitations, visas and other bureaucratic formalities.
In Western society, independent travel is widely considered to provide crucial experience for young people. I, too, want to acquire such experience. I would like to travel on my own, instead of on a tour. Of course I can buy a visa from a tourist agency, but it will cost me at least $100 and, besides, purchasing such visas seems dishonest.
I admit, friends abroad can send me invitations to visit them. But I feel uncomfortable knowing they have to waste their time and money because their friend did not happen to be born in the right country. Even more humiliating is the requirement that such an invitation must say all my expenses will be covered by the person doing the inviting.
It has recently become possible for Russians to pay for youth hostels in advance through the International Booking Network, or IBN, provided by Hostelling International. Almost all European embassies, with the exception of the Belgian, Dutch and Spanish ones, issue visas after they have received IBN vouchers. This is better than not receiving a visa, but you still have to bring a huge pile of documents in addition to the voucher.
The Italian embassy, for example, demands that the applicant show traveller's checks amounting to $100 for each day of the trip. Is this what an average Italian of my age (24) spends on food and entertainment per day in his country or abroad? The most tortuous of all these Dantesque circles, however, is the waiting in line. People wait outside embassies from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. only to pass a five-minute interview. The assumption of innocence is never taken into consideration. It is up to you to prove that you are not a criminal or a future emigrant. One of the ironies is that if you are young or have never been to the West, this can be grounds for suspicion of your motives for travel.
The procedure seems to have more than the usual number of the drawbacks of international bureaucracy. It is a policy that is definitely not aimed at criminals or potential emigrants. The Russian mafia is thriving abroad as if there were no borders at all, whereas for someone considering emigration, it is just a matter of studying several widely available instructional booklets for avoiding all the primitive traps awaiting him at the embassy.
Judging by the actual victims of this policy, it seems directed against young and hardworking people who have no time to stand in line and for whom all the visa expenses only mean they must shorten their travel itineraries and save money on food. Indeed, the visa policies appear aimed precisely at those people whom the West should be supporting in the first place, if we are to believe its declarations.
We in Russia often notice two sides to the Western policy toward us: one conscious and the other unconscious.
Consciously, the West wants Russia to be a wealthy and stable country and to encourage friendship and cooperation.
But there are unconscious policies inspired by the lingering stereotypes and complexes of the Cold War. This is reflected in everything from the debates over the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to the negative images of Russia that inundate much of the Western news media to the toughening of visa procedures. And this causes many Russians to think that, despite all the rhetoric about democracy and freedom of movement, there were only a handful of Western human rights activists during the Cold War who sincerely wanted us to be liberated from totalitarianism.
The paper curtain has descended on Russia after the lifting of the iron one. And its guards are encouraging another generation of Russians to be disillusioned with Western ideals. It is up to the West to either accept this tendency or reconsider its own policies.
Leonid Ragozin is deputy director of project development of Interrail. He contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.
Ten years ago I spent every night with headphones on, browsing the airwaves produced by the then-faraway mysterious free world. I spent hours listening to Radio Liberty, the BBC and Voice of America. So what was the message being sent to me and fellow victims of the country's isolationist policy? Escape from the paws of the totalitarian bear and the world would be open to you: You could see Australia and Brazil, travel, find jobs and live any way you wished.
Am I the kind of Russian who thinks only of how to run away from his country? No, I am not that kind, because I only want to travel, but with as few restrictions as possible. I don't understand why I cannot now enter the countries that claim to be democracies without invitations, visas and other bureaucratic formalities.
In Western society, independent travel is widely considered to provide crucial experience for young people. I, too, want to acquire such experience. I would like to travel on my own, instead of on a tour. Of course I can buy a visa from a tourist agency, but it will cost me at least $100 and, besides, purchasing such visas seems dishonest.
I admit, friends abroad can send me invitations to visit them. But I feel uncomfortable knowing they have to waste their time and money because their friend did not happen to be born in the right country. Even more humiliating is the requirement that such an invitation must say all my expenses will be covered by the person doing the inviting.
It has recently become possible for Russians to pay for youth hostels in advance through the International Booking Network, or IBN, provided by Hostelling International. Almost all European embassies, with the exception of the Belgian, Dutch and Spanish ones, issue visas after they have received IBN vouchers. This is better than not receiving a visa, but you still have to bring a huge pile of documents in addition to the voucher.
The Italian embassy, for example, demands that the applicant show traveller's checks amounting to $100 for each day of the trip. Is this what an average Italian of my age (24) spends on food and entertainment per day in his country or abroad? The most tortuous of all these Dantesque circles, however, is the waiting in line. People wait outside embassies from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. only to pass a five-minute interview. The assumption of innocence is never taken into consideration. It is up to you to prove that you are not a criminal or a future emigrant. One of the ironies is that if you are young or have never been to the West, this can be grounds for suspicion of your motives for travel.
The procedure seems to have more than the usual number of the drawbacks of international bureaucracy. It is a policy that is definitely not aimed at criminals or potential emigrants. The Russian mafia is thriving abroad as if there were no borders at all, whereas for someone considering emigration, it is just a matter of studying several widely available instructional booklets for avoiding all the primitive traps awaiting him at the embassy.
Judging by the actual victims of this policy, it seems directed against young and hardworking people who have no time to stand in line and for whom all the visa expenses only mean they must shorten their travel itineraries and save money on food. Indeed, the visa policies appear aimed precisely at those people whom the West should be supporting in the first place, if we are to believe its declarations.
We in Russia often notice two sides to the Western policy toward us: one conscious and the other unconscious.
Consciously, the West wants Russia to be a wealthy and stable country and to encourage friendship and cooperation.
But there are unconscious policies inspired by the lingering stereotypes and complexes of the Cold War. This is reflected in everything from the debates over the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to the negative images of Russia that inundate much of the Western news media to the toughening of visa procedures. And this causes many Russians to think that, despite all the rhetoric about democracy and freedom of movement, there were only a handful of Western human rights activists during the Cold War who sincerely wanted us to be liberated from totalitarianism.
The paper curtain has descended on Russia after the lifting of the iron one. And its guards are encouraging another generation of Russians to be disillusioned with Western ideals. It is up to the West to either accept this tendency or reconsider its own policies.
Leonid Ragozin is deputy director of project development of Interrail. He contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.