Practical aspects spring 2026: border to Murmansk, to Pskov, SIM cards, internet. (page 4 of 5)

Haha, you French folks... Thousands of attacks (in Corsica, Marseille, Nice, Paris...) by my old ancestors, and you still don’t get it...

The Corsican language is oppressed, Corsican culture too... But we’d be free in your country? Haha!

Never EVER criticize the great France! Of course, clowns like Yellow Vests or others can do it, but Corsicans or New Caledonians... Where are the New Caledonian leaders? In France, in Fresnes prison... Just like the Corsicans, to break those family ties, so you don’t speak anymore...

Bunch of clowns—one day, it’s gonna blow up in your face!

I don’t quite get the connection between Corsica and Russia.

The mafia?

Laugh it up, Frenchman, laugh;...

The mafia, like your country, killed us! Just writing a message about the French state on a Corsican wall gets us raided by counter-terrorism and tried for terrorism—with imprisonment off the island...

But there’s freedom of speech, or so it seems? For the French, yes... but not for others.

And you laugh about the mafia—was that sick humor, or do you just hate Corsicans so much that you’re okay with all the misery the mafia clans have brought on the Corsican people?

Rigoles le gaulois, rigoles;..

Stop whining, please—Corsica already has its own parliament and will certainly gain autonomy in the coming years. Not to mention that the local economy is heavily subsidized. What more do you want? And what are you going to do about it? Start a revolution all by yourself? We’re way off-topic here, sorry.

soit tu es haïes tellement les Corses

Oh yeah, that’s what I do all day. As if I had nothing better to do...

Didn’t it cross your mind that I could be Corsican?

Putting people in boxes...

Start a revolution all by yourself?

Citizen Napoleon already took care of that.

But Russia didn’t bring him much luck...

(All roads lead to Moscow, after all.)

Hi there, Here are a few links to help you understand freedom of expression in Russia. The links are on the "Telegram" app, which you can use on your computer or mobile. I’ve shared a few, but if you’re blocked from reading certain authors who’ve written some messages, it simply means your country doesn’t accept the narratives explained by people living in other countries. Using a VPN won’t help—if you’re French, it’s your phone number that’s blocked. However, I think you might be able to access the content with a Vietnamese number. On Telegram: (non-exhaustive list) Boris Karpov 🇷🇺 📰 *Russian Briefs* Christelle Néant - Кристель Нэан TASS_Monde KOMPSOMOL RUSpresse InfoDefenseFRANCE 1 Rybar FR (his head is priced at **+:- $15 million** by the U.S.) RYADOVOY | RUSSIA

This will let you read some articles and get an idea of what freedom of expression looks like in Russia. Best regards, Patrick

Access to Telegram is pretty much locked down in Russia.

Putin doesn’t like narratives that differ from his own—whether they come from people inside the country or from abroad... And he wants Russians to use his Max system so he can control everything.

Russians living in Russia bypass censorship by using VPNs. But accessing VPNs themselves is becoming increasingly difficult...

As a result, by trying to monitor everything to ensure no rebellious hair sticks out, the Russian government has managed to mess up its own banking system.

See here

Self-sabotage—it’s almost beautiful! 😄

Good evening Agnès,

I don’t intend to explain to you that freedom of expression is at its best in Russia, but you should admit—with a bit of hindsight and observation, and less faith in public-service media—that similar projects keep popping up in France and the EU, pushing toward the same outcomes. So, are we really going less far than Putin’s Russia? We’ll see. Once a habit is established, it’s tempting, and most of these surveillance and control regulations are adopted without resistance by anesthetized populations. The Avia Law, fortunately struck down, renewed plans to eliminate anonymity on social networks and forums, bans on certain media, vague notions of "fake news," with the illusion of objective, interpretation-free information, the SREN Law, ARCOM, content moderation, and AI responses since 2024, etc.

I find your naivety disturbingly worrying. The EU—and France, far ahead of the rest—combines an unmatched data surveillance system (algorithmic surveillance and black boxes at internet providers) on the continent with ambitions to regain control over online publications through platforms.

Michel

A predestined name.

Best regards

You and others here are living proof that freedom of speech is still fully intact here (meaning in a democracy). 😛

Hello, A French journalist who has been working in the Donbass since 2012 (if I recall correctly) has been the victim of several assassination attempts in the region. For this reason, she advocates that the word "PRESS" no longer be displayed on bulletproof vests. Currently, they are the first targets in all ongoing conflicts. She works for International Reporters Group as an editor. We don’t choose our names. And for your information, this is just a thought: There are intelligent fools with extremely rational reasoning but with a flawed premise or logic in the middle, a bit like those math jokes where you deliberately overlook a division by zero. Best regards, Patrick

You and others here are living proof that freedom of speech remains intact here (meaning in a democracy).

Intact is a bit much; it’s increasingly restricted year after year and likely doomed in the medium term. We can no longer write here what we could back in VF’s early days, and you’re old enough to remember the media/comedians of the 80s and 90s, who’d certainly be censored today. That you can deny this is pretty unsettling.

Michel

and probably doomed in the medium term.

Yeah, yeah, we know. Like all those post-Soviet countries that have had to close themselves off to us Westerners (so, you) for the past 4 years... and yet they’re still wonderfully open to us. But things *will* change "in the medium term," we know that.

Hey La pagaille, Here’s at least one message that doesn’t miss the point—though I don’t see a link.

Just a quick note, same as another user: Telegram is widely blocked in Russia, and the posts you mentioned might be one of the reasons for that.

As for information control in Vietnam, it’s also very effective 😉, even if certainly less so than in our neighbor China.

and probably doomed in the medium term.

Yeah, yeah, we know. Like all those post-Soviet countries that have had to close themselves off to us Westerners (meaning you) for the past 4 years... and yet they’re still magnificently open to us. But that’s gonna change "in the medium term," we know.

I’m referring to the most likely scenario from Hal Brands, the American historian at Johns Hopkins: hypothesis number one for the future, the most probable, a return to a two-bloc Cold War-style world. I think it’s discussed, among other places, in *Le Grand Continent* in French, or here in English.

Michel

Hi there, Sorry for the late reply—turns out using a VPN often blocks reading and replying on the Voyage Forum site. I didn’t include any links, but you can just copy and paste the names I mentioned and search for them in "Telegram" to get direct access. Sometimes you’ll need to wait a bit for the site admins to approve you, just like anywhere if you want to join a conversation. (Telegram can be installed on your phone or computer.)

Yes, "Telegram" is currently blocked in Russia, and by checking out the suggested sites, you’ll get an idea of what’s being said about it. To use "Telegram" in Russia right now, you’ll need a VPN, VPS, or proxy. I’m not sure if people with a special "Telegram" subscription are affected too.

For China, what’s somewhat effective is the "Tor" browser.

Best, Patrick

hypothesis number one for the future, the most likely: a return to a two-bloc world like the Cold War.

Hi, if I may digress, the most likely scenario is actually the breakup of the American confederation of states and the fragmentation of the states that make up Russia, yeah 😉 Just like the Roman Empire collapsed. So, moral of the story: Mr. Esantirulo should make the most of Russia while he still can

Hi there,

So, you’re seeing the dismantling of the United States and the Russian Federation as a top-tier possibility? I find that pretty bold. I’m in a lounge in Paris right now—right in front of me, there’s a Saudia and a Qatar plane—and I think we’re being fed some pretty skewed ideas by the media. That said, the EU’s position does raise questions, especially how its stance is isolating it so much. A turn of events, like history often throws at us, is always possible.

Michel

hi, Russia is obviously a huge country. From what I know, there are Chinese communities in Siberia living near the border. It seems tough to monitor thousands of kilometers of border