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Fire_Goddess
Guest
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 Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 2:38 am Post subject: police and bribes |
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Ok ive read different messages on this board about how most people dont get hassled by the police for bribes. While I believe that it is quite possible to have an excellant hassle free time in russia, I do tend to wonder why on the site "virtual tourist", there are a ton of people warning you to be prepared to be hassled by the police in russia, and how they will demand money from you, and how if your skin is brown your more likely to be hassled by police. So I guess in essence im wondering, which is it? are the VT people right, or are the WTR people right?  |
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vitalsigns
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
Posts: 2784
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 3:15 am Post subject: Re: police and bribes |
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| Fire_Goddess wrote: | | Ok ive read different messages on this board about how most people dont get hassled by the police for bribes. While I believe that it is quite possible to have an excellant hassle free time in russia, I do tend to wonder why on the site "virtual tourist", there are a ton of people warning you to be prepared to be hassled by the police in russia, and how they will demand money from you, and how if your skin is brown your more likely to be hassled by police. So I guess in essence im wondering, which is it? are the VT people right, or are the WTR people right? |
I think it's all circumstantial. I was hassled by police (and I am russian!) on one of my trips to Russia because I was not blending in (my clothes I guess gave me away). The russian police is crap. They will go into oblivion as crap.
In any case, on my next trip I wore darker looking clothes and I had no problems. Brown skin will probably attract their conniving minds... but there's nothing one can do. The russian police is crap. |
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Fire_Goddess
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 3:27 am Post subject: |
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LOL thankyou vital signs  |
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overseas_expat
VIP
Joined: 11 Jan 2005
Posts: 741
Location: Moscow
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 3:54 am Post subject: |
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I've been here for over 2 years and I've never been 'document checked'. Never.
But I do see the Moscow militsia each and every day, all day, document checking plenty of people. The Metro looks like their favorite haunt.
They seem to single out: young men, dark hair and dark eyes, non western European features. This look is a free ticket to the document check aside.
If you are a young man especially, non Slavic looking, dark skinned, and
particularly carrying luggage, you are ripe to be pulled over by the militsia. Fact of life in Moscow. |
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Paul-Holmes
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 1073
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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Aka if you look naive and have money, they will approach. If you look that you know something and you will give them nothing, they will avoid.
Just think of them as Used Car salesmen |
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Fire_Goddess
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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| LOL@used car salesman, yes that could be quite easy, but at least you can walk away from a salesman when you dont like what hes got to say or offer, in the event you are hassled by police is it ok to give them a dirty look, yell NO, and walk away? Im REALLY interested in knowing the answer to that one probably alot like trying to ignore the LAPD you end up with a billyclub whacked against the back of your head LOL. |
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snoof777
Frequent Guest
Joined: 22 Sep 2005
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 6:30 pm Post subject: not a good idea |
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| but you can show them your passport, and just dont say anything to them, they will try to speak russian to you, and maybe a little english. just stand there and pretend like you dont really understand them, even if they do. after a minute they will give up and hand your passport back. besides, the only way that they can give you a hard time is if your documents arent in order. have a visa (not expired )? have the right stamps? do you have registration? then its not going to be any problem. |
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MrSpice
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3431
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| Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Fire_Goddess: To minimize the chance of being checking by police, go to St Petersbug instead of Moscow. Moscow has been a target of Chechen terrorist several times over the past few years and Moscow is the richest city in Russia by far. So the document checks there are much more common. If you are dressed like a typical western tourist, they probably won't stop you. If you have all your documents in order, they will let you go even if they stop you. Don't worry. |
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Fire_Goddess
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Thankyou snoof and spice  |
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mediashark
Moderator
Joined: 04 Nov 2004
Posts: 1599
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| Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| I've never been stopped when I was alone, and I am Asian, been living here for 2 years. They target my husband, who has asian-slavic blood mix with dark hair and eyes, and oddly enough when I'm with him we get stopped together, but they never did find anything interesting to push a bribe for. |
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Verbify
Just Starting
Joined: 31 Jan 2006
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:01 am Post subject: |
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I, too, have read a whole variety of opinions on just how common it is to be stopped by police and then asked to pay an "on the spot" fine. To me, it's more important to know how to deal with it once it happens than how to go about avoiding it. A few strategies I've garnered from friends and the Net (assuming you are absolutely sure all your papers are in order) are below. Not sure which one I would choose, but here they are for debate:
1. Play dumb and speak only English (fast, too) no matter how good your Russian is.
2. Learn how to say "I want to call the (insert your country) embassy/ consulate" in Russian or point to it in your phrase book. The LP phrase books always have that line in them)
3. Carry out #2 while pulling out your cell phone and start to dial. I don't think it really matters if your phone works in Russia or not, if your papers are in order it might be enough to make them leave you alone.
3. Insist that you be taken to the station to pay your fine.
4. Pay the man and get on with it. |
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MrSpice
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3431
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:09 am Post subject: |
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| #4 is the best way to proceed. |
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vitalsigns
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
Posts: 2784
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:02 am Post subject: |
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| I'd say #2 is the one.... I am THE man. |
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Muppet
Lounge Lizard
Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 105
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:03 pm Post subject: Russian Traffic Police |
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I've never been document checked, but I've seen plenty of people being held up by traffic cops for money. It happened to us last time when we were in one of St P's 'unofficial' taxis too. At last count it had happened to my friend Olga about 5 times in the last 6 months, although to be fair she drives a heap that attracts attention  . Having said that, the alternative to cash that she was offered, being a woman, just makes my blood boil!  |
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MrSpice
Lounge Wizard
Joined: 14 Jul 2003
Posts: 3431
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| At least women have alternatives |
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