Filmed in Moscow. Posted on YouTube by SpectorNikita, June 2, 2008.

Posted on RuTube by "RUFAT050".

Given that I'm a careful driver, I don't get stopped by traffic inspectors that often. Nevertheless, once every month or so I get stopped by 'hunters'. These are the traffic inspectors whose main purpose is to obtain money from drivers. Besides the hunters, there are 'fishers' - traffic inspectors who come from other regions when they're off-duty to 'abuse their powers'. If I see that the inspector is a fisher, it's quite simple - I tell them to write an official report about the traffic regulation violation. They obviously can't do it because they don't have the right to be there in the first place. But back to the hunters: they don't hesitate to incriminate drivers with imaginary, and serious, violations.

Here are some stories from my own experiences.

"Drunk" driving

January 2006, 3pm, driving with friends, I was stopped by an inspector at a police outpost on the outskirts of Moscow. The inspector told me that I reeked of alcohol. I told him that I hadn't drunk anything for the past two days. 'It was a national holiday yesterday' (Orthodox Christmas), said the inspector, 'there' no way you didn't drink'. Tell your passengers to get out of the car, get out of the car yourself, and take a bus to the city. Bring me a medical certificate confirming that you're sober, and then I'll let you drive.'

After that he told me to blow into some device. A red light flashed. 'You see, the device proves your drunkenness,' he said. I asked him what the device was and whether he had a permit to use it. 'No, I don't. But it confirms my guess that you're drunk. I'm sending you for a medical examination not because of the device reading, but because of the smell of alcohol, your inadequate behaviour, disjointed speech and other signs of alcohol intoxication.'

We spent two hours arguing and, finally I had to pay 2,000 roubles [€40] to save me and my friends from wasting even more time. A normal non-official police fine for drunk driving was some 20-40,000 roubles [€400 - €800] back then.

No overtaking

Spring 2008, Oryol region, Moscow - Crimea highway. Overtaking is forbidden in almost all of the Oryol region, and traffic inspectors profit from it as much as they can. They send a derelict lorry that can only make around 30-40 km/h, on to an A road. The vehicle provokes drivers to overtake it, and traffic inspectors are waiting for impatient drivers in a hideout. I overtook the lorry as well, but with only a slight violation: instead of overtaking it by using the other side of the road, I used the lane designated for a left turn.

After some 500 meters I was stopped by traffic inspectors. They tried to persuade me to pay a ransom, in a very aggressive manner. Otherwise, as they said, they wouldn't let me go. They even threatened me with a gun. It was a real robbery. Finally I gave them 1,000 roubles [€20] (a 'regular' fee for crossing the middle of the road when overtaking is 5,000 RUB [€100]).

The official complaints queue

Summer 2008, an exit road from Moscow near Izhorska Street. A police outpost. 40 km/hour road sign. Right before the sign I slow down from 70-75, as all the traffic does (though only 60 is permitted), to 50-55. A traffic inspector stops me.

'You exceeded the speed limit.' 'Yes, I did. Please, write the report. (I don't bother arguing; even the Moscow police don't usually notice such minor speeding. The problem is that sometimes a traffic warden is commissioned with a certain amount of penalties, so on those days they stop you for even the smallest of violations).

After quarter of an hour the inspector brings me a report claiming that I exceeded the speed limit by 47 km/h! The fine is 2,200 roubles [€50]. 'What's that?! I drove 50, not 87!!!' 'It was 87. We have a video record. Let's take a look at it.' Then they show me a TV-monitor (!) with a photo of my car and the digits 87.

The discussion took an hour and a half. Finally, police gave me a copy of the report, I wrote down my explanation of what'd really happened and promised to go to a police station for further proceedings.

At the police station I was told that I was charged with a 1,500 RUB fine [€30], but that they could decrease it to 1,000 RUB [€20], to streamline the process. 'Do you agree?' 'No' 'Why?' 'I didn't speed by 47 km/h.' 'But here's the video report. Have you seen it?' 'Yes. But it's either an error or a forgery.' 'Why do you think so?' 'Because I wasn't speeding.' 'OK' - said the police officer suddenly - 'we'll cancel the report. Do you want to file a complaint against the inspector? If so, take the form and go wait in that (long) queue'. 'I don't think I'll bother. Goodbye.'"

In front of the Volna shopping center in Veliky Novgorod (northwest). Video posted on YouTube by ChelDnev. The text at 2:40 reads "Do YOU want to feed a traffic inspector?", and then "The hunt continues..."

Many of the police invite the person being bribed into their car so that outsiders can't see the actual exchanging of money take place. Video posted on RuTube by "bardoss67".