Dressed to chill: Border guards save Chinese trespasser from perils of Russian winter
Russian border guards in Primorsky Region have caught their first trespasser of the year: a 37-year-old Chinese man in a wig and fashionable clothes who was clearly underdressed for the harsh Russian winter. He was glad to surrender and escape the cold, the guards said.
The border violator was trying to visit his sister, who lives with her wealthy husband in Moscow - which is over 5,000 miles away from Primorsky Region – said the guard’s report cited by RIA Novosti. The couple’s children however are living with the brother, who said he had problems providing for them.
“The money they left for the children was spent, so the unlucky traveler tried to cross the border illegally to visit his sister and settle the financial issue,” the report said.
The Chinese man was well prepared for a more urbane environment. He had his passport, a tourist map, a mobile phone and some $150 for travel expenses.
“He was prepared for many things, but failed to take into account the Russian winter: in his fashionable but light clothes he got very cold, so he was pretty glad to meet the guards,” the report said.
The report didn’t specify why the trespasser chose to break Chinese and Russian law rather than travel legally.
Harmless incidents like this are a minority for the Russian border guards stationed in the Far East. More often than not, they find themselves having to deal with professional smugglers and poachers.
