Nothing mysterious about it, it's just part of Russia. Whether or not you want to go to the expense and hassle of getting a permit is up to you, but I would guess that flying around it makes more sense. IIRC it remained part of Russia after the breakup of the USSR due to its port which is useable in the winter, and because of its supply of amber, used in the reconstruction of the Amber Room in St. Petersburg. I've flown over it before on flights to and from Asia when we had a permit to fly over the rest of Russia anyway, and no one tried to shoot us down!
Last edited by Long Haul; 13th April 2011 at 00:49.