Jamie and I are planning our route with urgency, thanks to the Visa machine deadline of last Sunday.

However we can't figure out if the Russia / Azerbaijan border crossing is possible.

Yay

• A friend in Georgia, says her Azeri friend says it's open
• I called the Azeri embassy in London, he says it's open

Nay

• Visa machine says The section of the Russian border between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea is closed.
• Wikitravel says it's only open to CIS nationals