Russia Restoring Soviet Borders

A report in Kommersant newspaper describes how Russia is presently completing the process of expanding its border zones in many areas from the present 5km back to the Soviet-era 30km extent. These zones will be off-limits to outsiders, and will be under the direct control of the FSB (KGB), which assumed responsibility for the border service in 2003. The report notes:

If the average depth of the border zone is assumed to be 15 km., 550,000 sq. km. of Russian territory have been turned over to the control of the FSB. That is the size of France. Along the land border alone, the border zone consists of about 330,000 sq. km. (the size of Finland). The FSB can now limit the right of citizens to enter or travel in that territory and control any economic activity there.