Samara Women Arrested in US Base Mix-up

Two women from Samara, Russia, are facing up to six months in prison after accidentally entering a US Marine base in California, having mistaken it for a McDonald's.

Feb 14, 2026

Kristina M. and Natalia G. have been held for three days after their arrest on the Marine base.
Source:
Social media of Natalia G. and Kristina M.

Two natives of Samara, who moved to America for permanent residence, face up to six months in prison for an involuntary «invasion» of a strategic facility. While traveling through California, friends Kristina M. and Natalia G. wanted to have a snack and asked their navigator to find the nearest McDonald«s. It led them directly onto the territory of the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton. This is reported by SHOT.

The girls drove onto a parking lot with military equipment, where they were immediately detained. Currently, the Russian women have been in custody for three days, and their car has been moved to an impound lot. Friends of the detainees are trying to organize legal assistance by raising funds for lawyers.

As noted by compatriots living in the USA, such cases at this base are not uncommon. Due to the specific location of the checkpoint, which is deep inside the territory, tourists can indeed mistakenly drive onto the guarded facility. The decision to detain or simply turn away often depends on the subjective judgment of the patrol on site.