Passport and 310 roubles

[Manti]

Did they need passports to travel from Sverdlovsk to the Northern Urals?

I am not that familiar with the rules at the time, I know that travel within Russia was somewhat restricted. But they just about stayed within their oblast (like a state). So did they need passports? If not, why would Rustem bring his with him on the trip? And especially in his pocket?


And he also carried 310 roubles. I have read somewhere that their camerascost around the same amount and weren't the cheapest model. So I assume this was a considerable amount of money, probably multiple months' savings.   The exchange rate around that time was 0.25 USD/SUR.

Wasn't this amount more than needed for the trip? And also, wasn't Lyuda the group treasurer? Why would Rustik bring so much money with him (if the assumption is correct about its worth)?

[sarapuk]

Did they need passports to travel from Sverdlovsk to the Northern Urals?

I am not that familiar with the rules at the time, I know that travel within Russia was somewhat restricted. But they just about stayed within their oblast (like a state). So did they need passports? If not, why would Rustem bring his with him on the trip? And especially in his pocket?


And he also carried 310 roubles. I have read somewhere that their camerascost around the same amount and weren't the cheapest model. So I assume this was a considerable amount of money, probably multiple months' savings.   The exchange rate around that time was 0.25 USD/SUR.

Wasn't this amount more than needed for the trip? And also, wasn't Lyuda the group treasurer? Why would Rustik bring so much money with him (if the assumption is correct about its worth)?

They would have had any neccessary clearance from the Authorities via the College where they studied. The money wasnt that much.

[mk]

Did they need passports to travel from Sverdlovsk to the Northern Urals?

I am not that familiar with the rules at the time, I know that travel within Russia was somewhat restricted. But they just about stayed within their oblast (like a state). So did they need passports? If not, why would Rustem bring his with him on the trip? And especially in his pocket?


And he also carried 310 roubles. I have read somewhere that their camerascost around the same amount and weren't the cheapest model. So I assume this was a considerable amount of money, probably multiple months' savings.   The exchange rate around that time was 0.25 USD/SUR.

Wasn't this amount more than needed for the trip? And also, wasn't Lyuda the group treasurer? Why would Rustik bring so much money with him (if the assumption is correct about its worth)?

Yes, I've wondered very much about the amount of money they carried. I tried to figure out the exchange from 1959 rubles to 2021 dollars, but it was difficult to get a reliable answer.  It *looks* like Wikipedia says that in 1959 4 rubles = about 1 US dollar. And 1 US dollar in 1959 is equal to about $8.90 today. That would seem like an awful lot of cash.  On the other hand, Lyuda writes in her diary that just before the trip she bought 5 meters of cambric that cost 200 rubles.  Based on buying fabric today, I wouldn't expect cambric to be more than about $10/yard, tops.  So 200 rubles might have had the purchasing power of about $50 today?

Here's the money it seems they were carrying:
700 (bank)
975 (just "found")
310 (Slobodin)
005 (Kolmogorova)
001 (Tibo)
035 (Dubinina)
TOTAL: 2026 Rubles.

And that was basically to get them back home, plus any needs they might have the opportunity of purchasing as they headed back into civilization.  It seems like an awful lot, but I just don't have the background knowledge to see through it.

[KFinn]

Slobodin was already a graduate in the work force, as were Thibo and Krivonischenko.  According to the files, they had to pay their own way.  The trade union provided a certain amount of money for students (I think 1100 rubles?) and the others had to pay 350 rubles, according to Yuri Yudin's testimony in the case files.  I don't know if what was found on Slobodin was supposed to be his share or if he just brought extra money for incidentals (like sending the postcard from Vizhay or buying anything extra in Ivdel, etc.)  I am not sure of the passport; I think they were supposed to register entering and exiting Ivdel but they never did. 

[ThorstenW]

I don't think it's unusual for him to have his passport with him. Maybe he just wanted the passport not to be lost or, if something happened to him, that he could be identified. I think most of us also have the ID / passport with us all the time. And I don't find it too unusual to carry the own money with him. Whether all the money is managed or by each one individually should be secondary. But it's only my opinion.

[Manti]

Well, these days of course it depends on country.. for example only a third of Americans have valid passports.

But since I started this thread I have read more about internal travel rules in the Soviet Union: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passport_system_in_the_Soviet_Union
And yes, passports were mandatory for them at the time. Although, they didn't leave their home oblast (state) of Sverdlovsk, the incident itself happened very close the the border with Perm state, and so I had considered it a possibility that it was all initiated when the border force spotted their tent but.... it looks like the Sverdlovsk/Perm border wasn't guarded though I still haven't found a definitive source on this.