Crossing the Russia–Ukraine border by train in summer 2014

Last weekend I took the train from Kherson to Moscow and back. On the way there, customs went fine. But the way back was "more fun." The customs checkpoint for leaving Russia used to be in Bryansk, and that's where it was on entry this time too. But for departure they set up customs in Suzemka — right next to the border itself. In Bryansk they were all young and didn't really nitpick, but closer to the border the customs officers are more experienced.

It's worth noting that the car was about half empty, although in the past the cars on the Moscow route were always full, and now it was mostly pensioners and parents with children traveling. As a result, the Russian customs officer had plenty of time to nitpick at the passengers.

First the customs officer handed us declaration forms as if we were all definitely carrying goods that needed declaring, then he gave a cursory look at the belongings of the pensioners riding with me in the compartment, but with me he started inspecting everything. The first thing he went for was the small shoulder bag I always carry with me and which no one had ever paid attention to. He rummaged through every little pocket in it, opened every compartment, opened and checked every little box and package inside it, peered into the gaps in them. He found some of the hryvnias hidden in the bag, since I don't carry all my cash in one place. He asked how much cash I had on me, I told him how many hryvnias I had, and he asked about other currencies, which I didn't have, and I told him that too. Then he went for the backpack — he rummaged through and checked everything in it too, but, it seems, already less thoroughly. He asked me to show him rubles, not hryvnias, and I showed him the small metal rubles left in my wallet, around 30 in total. Toward the end he also inspected the food bag, where there was nothing but empty containers left over from eating. In short, by then he had already gotten me worried, since it was unclear what he wanted from me and he was trying to find fault with everything, but couldn't.

After inspecting my belongings, the customs officer told me to come with him, took me to an empty conductor's compartment, and there said that it seemed to him I was carrying a large amount of currency sewn into my clothing or a belt somewhere, and that I should confess to it. By then I understood better what he wanted from me, and practically shouting I declared that I had no such money, repeated for the umpteenth time that I only had hryvnias and that I had just been visiting a friend. At that point the customs officer finally left me alone.

In short, it's clear that customs catches those carrying money to fund the war, in order to take it for themselves. And this is confirmed by the treatment of guys traveling alone. They frayed my nerves good and killed any desire to travel to Russia in the near future :)