England fans are being warned to allow themselves at least five hours to cross the land borders into the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad as security forces remained on high alert to prevent possible attacks.
Soldiers carrying Kalashnikovs interrogated one supporter with a misspelling on his Fan ID, a document that allows visa-free travel into the country for those with match tickets, while road blocks were established on routes into the city. About 5,000 England supporters are expected in Kaliningrad for the World Cup match against Belgium. Many have taken advantage of cheaper flights into Poland and Lithuania, the countries that border the Russian territory.
Some have arranged bus transfers with others arriving by taxi or even hitchhiking over the two land entry points in a bid to see whether England, with passage to the knockout stages assured, can beat Belgium and top their World Cup group. But on Wednesday, at the border between the Polish town of Braniewo and the Russian settlement of Mamonovo they were subjected to fastidious security checks.
Ronnie Glassgow and Charlie Smith, friends from Romford in Essex paid £500 each for their tickets for the match. They took a seven-hour taxi transfer from Warsaw to Kaliningrad, the westernmost World Cup host city, which was German until 1946.
“The police and soldiers at the border weren’t taking any chances,” said Glassgow. “It took at least two hours to get in. My name on the Fan ID is incorrectly spelt Glasgow, like the city, so they pulled me to one side and a soldier carrying a gun was forcefully asking me a load of questions.”
The pair decided they were going to travel to Russia on Sunday, convinced in their decision by a notable absence of the trouble in the country that had been feared. “We’d heard about all the issues but it seems like none of that has happened and everyone was having a great time,” said Smith.
“So we decided to come over. You can’t help but get excited about England particularly after their 6-1 win over Panama.”
World Cup fever has not yet hit Mamonovo, the first Russian town England fans will hit as they travel over the Polish border by rail or road. About 3 miles (5km) from the crossing, the town was formerly known by its German name Heiligenbeil until after it fell to the Red Army in 1945. Amid monuments paying tribute to Nikolay Mamonov, the Soviet commander from which the town received its name, there are many signposts of its German history. The dilapidated red brick post office still bears the horn, a German institution emblem.
Several England fans paid 100 roubles (£1.20) to take the hour long minibus journey from here to Kaliningrad. But while the host city is overtaken by Russia 2018 branding and billboards there was no obvious sign of a football frenzy in Mamanovo – as two men rode wild horses through the main square and locals gathered around a stall selling kvass, a popular Russian drink.
Fans are also set to face extra checks at road blocks on the tree-lined highway between Mamonovo and Kaliningrad. One reported having a picture of their passport taken by a soldier demanding to know their future travel plans.
Security was also tight at Kaliningrad’s main bus terminal as a few dozen England fans arrived on coaches from Lithuania. Military police used bomb detectors to scan the undercarriage of the vehicles. The fan zone, overlooked by the House of Soviets, a 21-storey derelict behemoth often referenced as one of the ugliest buildings in Russia, was also fiercely protected by hefty concrete blocks and soldiers carrying guns.
