Russia-Bribes and Hassle Alert
 

July and August in and out through borders of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, with NO problems. Into Russia at Kerch, east end of Crimea.

Group of 10 very experienced riders held for 8 hours at Russian entry. Told paperwork for bikes was incomplete. Chief Border officer wanted $1,500 (US), $150 (US) per bike. Finally settled for $1,000 (US) after 7 hours. Outrageous. We all had bad vibes even for our age group of 50's and 60's. And the handwritten paperwork, hours...wow. We remain impressed at the "old school" techniques for a country that claims otherwise. The Russian border mafia made out very well considering the average wage is very low, (extremely low!) by western standards. Without our interpreter we would have had a bigger problem for sure.

OK, then 15 km in and stopped at highway check station, who did not accept International Drivers License of one rider because it lacked a stamp under "Motorcycle". Stamped in adjacent box..you know what I mean.

Used the US State license with motorcycle endorsement and then paid the $150(US) cash settlement after 3 hours being detained.

On to Sochi, where the Russian fat cats and vacationers "hang". The hotel (The big one!) parking lot manager wanted $400(US) to park the 10 bikes fort 2 1/2 days. Bikes were not even in the parking/auto lot but under a veranda. Finally settled for $50(US) after 2 days.

Georgia entry cancelled...that Russian problem again, back to Turkey by ferry.
Cheers.

Sorry for all the problems, but a couple of reactions. I rode through Russia this summer and currently live in Moscow.

1) I went through the crossing at Kerch this summer, but the other way. No problems or bribes other than a pretty long process of filling out the paperwork. I have heard of similar problems at this crossing in the past, though.

2) You shouldn't have expected any different in Sochi; as you say, it is where it fat cats hang out and they throw money around like confetti. Even elsewhere in Russia, "high end" facilities are in short supply and often demand premium prices.

3) I probably rode through about 7k kilometers in Russia, and almost all of the cops were very friendly and/or professional. I speak Russian pretty well, and when they found out we were riding all the way through Russia, they almost never even asked for any kind of documents. Also, we tried to stay off the major highways, where there is more traffic and more cops. Only place I had to pay a bribe, and where the cops in general where a pain, was in Bashkiria (Bashkortistan), which is some kind of mini-republic inside of Russia.

I understand that lots of people have problems in Russia but want to make sure that people are aware that not everyone has these issues. I highly recommend travel through Russia.

Sorry for that
 

I'm sure, cops and customs are one of few factors that make people like or dislike country, but here, in Russia you mast forget about that! Here you mast remember - ACAB! You choosed the wrong route, road to Sochy is not the best way to see Russia, next time, please ask someone local for advice, in that region I can suggest you lots of interesting distinations.

Tenpdx, I think with the upset between east / west at the moment things are bound to be fraught on some of the border crosings -I don know but from your use of language I am guessing your american if so not the most popular race with russia at the moment with all the us government interference in russian politics and ex soviet states - and this will filter down to border guards and police. I have to say I really like russia and have not had any real hassle when entering/ leaving or travelling there. However I have heard of several large groups of motorbikes really getting stung so maybe it a group thing - I travel only with my wife on pillion. I have to say that I have cancelled a three month trip I had planned that included a lot of time in the russia, ukrain and the stans for next year - simply because i get the feeling there could be a bit of agro with the authorities so I am heading elsewhere instead that is until the relevant governments settle themselves down and behave (Mine is british and just as interfearing as the us.) Sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience of russia though because it really is a facinating country with lots to see and once you get to know the people they really are nice to be with.

Let me get this straight...10 of you guys showed up at the border at the same time and expected expedient processing of your paperwork without bribes?

And what made you think you would be able to cross into Georgia from Russia....ignoring the recent hostilities...I'm curious?

This is Russia...things are different and inconsistent...keep a low profile, smile, shake their hands when you greet them...and more often than not, things will go fine.

The Russian people are amazing...especially the Russian biker community...but dealing with the Russian gov't...hmm.

Edde
You kind of echo my thoughts. A large group of affluent western travellers (by the sound of things some of them Americans) arriving at the Russian/Gergian border at a time when Putin is shouting at Bush for supplying arms to Georgia and Bush is shouting at Putin for invading his candidate NATO country.... probably not the best start . It could only really go downhill after that :eek3:
I don't condone the bribes but I think it could have been avoided if handled delicately. The sad thing is having paid up such substantial amounts the next poor biker that comes through is going to suffer too..... after all what have the border guards got to lose now.

I must add that I felt an air of arrogance within the original post. Almost demanding by right, based on "highly experienced", ages, wealth?, etc.

Possibly the Customs guys did too and, human nature being what it is anywhere, decided to respond in the only way they can.

Although more elderly than his group, and riding alone, I have not had their troubles in entering Russia 3 times by bike in the last 15 months. Nor in riding over 10,000 miles while there, including the same Black Sea coastal areas.

Sure I get stopped for documents checks regularly, but that is just a frustrating fact of everyday life in Russia. It happens just as much when I drive a locally registered car.

Make sure your documents are in order and valid, and be polite, then no problem - even if you speak no Russian, like myself.

Odd that one of them was happy to try to travel without the correct stamp on his IDP. Did he check first? -
-if not, more fool the traveller.
-if so, what a swaggering arrogance that he did not bother to get it corrected before departing and thereby was quite happy to jeopardise his own journey and that of his companions.

?????
If the paperwork is REALLY incomplete, shouldn't they have been kept OUT/sent back to have it rectified?
We've all met officials who demand bribes, and these disgusting specimens of rotting offal are not motivated by patriotism/upholding the rule of law. "Delicate" handling is limited in it's effectiveness when somebody bent has decided to use you to enrich himself/herself.

^Well said.

Lets not all jump on the bashing bandwagon now. This guy signed up for this website just so he could give future riders a warning about his experience. It is too often the case with Horizons that the "high post count" members are looking for any chance they can to jump on the "low post count" members. This discourages new people from joining and takes away from the comraderie that we have here.

When the original poster mentioned that the riders in his group were in their 50's and 60's it was obvious that he was referring to the fact that they were laid back and not in a hurry to go, but that waiting 7 hours at one border was rediculous.

I was stopped several times heading into Moscow a few weeks ago, but everytime, I managed to get off all attemps to charge me the inflated fines. One being 50euro! At first I was really nice to them tell them all about my trip and how far i had come, but after the fourth time in one day within 2 hours and a 50euro fee, I just saw red, and rambled at them, that i do not have any money, who has 50 euros in there pocket?? I refused to bater with them. They finally told me to go.

You have to remember, they have no rules for people like us. Please avoid paying - unless you really have too as you ruin it for people like me who come after you.

Well said!
 

I entirely agree with Gatogato in his sentiment and have said it elsewhere on this forum, there is an emerging snobbery and elite which will ultimately not maintain or progress the HUBB to a high level. Give some people a break and lets not judge so harshley without at least making some further enquiries into a dubious sounding post. Otherwise, fewer and fewer people will risk starting threads or adding to existing ones and that will only diminish this great knowledge base we have.

I think they have every right to be angry.
 

I just read the post... And I agree with the sentiment of the two last posts.
Russia, in my experience wasn't the worst place for dodgy police and border crossings officials although I had to pay some money to cross the border and while there.
It revolts my stomach every time someone in authority use it to gain for himself. I've heard all the excuses yet I don't think any of them condone what these police and custom officials do. They spoil it for everyone and give their countries and countrymen a bad name most don't deserve.
I think it is everyone's duty to try avoid paying.
There are tactics that make the likelihood of paying much smaller and I think that's helpful info, rather than telling someone he has ben naive or arrogant.
These are the strategies that worked for me:

You don't understand them (even if you do). Do not speak their language (even if you know how to). Be polite, smile and wear their patience down without being confrontational. Often, the sad truth is that for every minute they waste with you they are loosing other potential 'customers'. I used to tell them that we have Pesetas in Spain and I didn't know about 'dalars' or 'yuros'; their interest drop to nearly cero on hearing of a currency they didn't know. Lasst resort, take their vehicle licence or other identifiers, call your consulate and they might negotiate on the mobile for you (they will know if they are asking 10 times the worth of a fine and shame them) if you have to pay you're likely to pay a lot less. Contact bikers clubs through HU. They will know mechanics and safe places to park bikes. On borders, come back later when there is a different officer in charge, may be less greedy and also shows your determination not to given something for nothing.
Try to make them laugh or smile. A smile and polite and friendly attitude combined with a refusal to pay confuses most of them because they expect anger; then, they know they also have to negotiate with you.

Remember, if you don't pay, they are less likely to bother the next guy.
If you have any tips on avoiding bribes that worked for you, post them please. Id love to hear them just in case I ned to use them!
I hope this helps.

Produce documents pointing at address, or point at registration plate, saying "Anglia"
Pause for it to sink in. Point again saying "London"
Pause for it to sink in. Point again saying "Chelsea"
Pause and await reply of "Ah! Abramovitch".
After hand shaking, go on your way.

(Often works, particularly away from Moscow)

Bribery timing
 

I worked in Kazhakstan (very similar to Russia in some respects) for a while and noticed that towards the end of the month, the frequency of being stopped increased. The number of "offences" I committed increased dramatically!
Just wondering, if possible, whether a trip acorss a border might be better taken near the beginning of a month, rather than the end?
Just a thought...
Nige

Hmmm, I really don't agree with the first part of this quote, but totally agree with the second part. I've ridden/driven quite a bit in Russia and really have had very few problems. Usually when I was stopped they didn't even ask for documents once it was clear that I was a foreigner on a long trip. For instance, once we were stopped at about 10 am and the policeman wanted to blow us for alcohol!? I expressed surprise, said that we were riding from point x to point y, and he let us go without further delay.

Actually, the best way to say out of trouble with the police is to stay off of the main roads--we tried to keep to smaller roads and it was awesome--the roads are fine, almost no cops or traffic--it just takes a lot longer to get there, but what's the rush?

I was stopped by police for trafic offences 4 times in Russia in June/July 2008. Twice on one day and twice on another day.

1. Vladivostok to Khabarovsk. My fault I overtook a car coming in to town and saw the traffic policeman at the side of the road 100 metres ahed. He saw me and started to move out into the road so I immediately accelerated up behind the truck in front of me and sat a metre behind it. The policeman couldn't do anything until the truck had passed and when it did he immediately blew his whistle. I just kept riding but for the next 1/2 an hour I was expecting a police car to give chase.

2. Two hours later and I'm entering a town, police pulled me over and showed me the radar - 75km in city limits. They asked for money, I explained I couldn't speak Russian (it was my 3rd day in Russia) and they let me go.

3. A month later just before Elitsa (on the from Astrakhan to Pyatigorsk) the road takes a detour around the city centre and goes into a deep gorge. The road is straight, there is minimal traffic, vision is good and there was a truck in front of me. I prepared to cross the single white line to overtake. As I pulled out the truck driver waved at me to go back in, I figured I would soon be past him anyway so continued my overtaking manoeuvre. At the top of the hill, of course, sat Ilya and Yuri Plod, eager to throw the book at me (little did I realise that this road was a set up - quite safe to overtake and tempting for most drivers). They took my passport, licence and vehicle rego papers and offered to return them in exchange for Russian roubles. I was not going to play this game and instead I insisted they issue me a ticket which had to be paid by deposit at the nearest Sberbank (government bank). Now your average Russian just pays up as it is easier and cheaper to pay Mr Plod directly (which is exactly what Mr Plod wants as the cash goes into his own pocket). After 45 minutes of stalemate and Mr Plod getting increasingly frustrated, he uttered some loud words in Russian (probably to the effect that I was stupid), gave me back my documents and told me never to darken his doorstep again.

4. One hour later! This time I had been video-cameraed leaving the next town at 78kmh in what was still a 60kmh zone (the police had set up a camera 50 metres before the end of city limits marker in an unmarked Lada parked at the side of the road). I went through a repeat procedure only this time with the head of the traffic squad who took me into his office, locked the door, demanded 3 times as much as the previous Mr Plod and threatened to lock me up and confiscate the Burgie. I told him to either issue me a formal ticket or let me go - one hour later and I was on my way, muttering under my breath that I'd love to play poker with Russian police one day - I'd make a fortune! :-)

Garry from Oz.

language
 

You’re probably right motoreiter... the way it’s written...
To clarify: If you just about mumble a few words or speak just a little of a foreign language, getting into an argument in it its getting into the discussion in their terms. Don’t try reasoning with a 250 word vocabulary, you are likely to lose the argument.
I also want to add that I hope the tips I posted are helpful to deprive crooked policemen from praying on innocent people and not to break the local laws just because there is not going to be any consequences.

Agree with you there, although it would help if you speak just enough to get them laughing...

Hi all
It's a shame about the hassles some people experienced.
I gotta say in all the time Colleen and I travelled across Russia last year; we never got hassled by anyone.
Never had to pay a fine or bribe.
Border crossings were a breeze once they saw we were Aussies.
Had a few coffees with some friendly cops and quite a few vodkas with some mafia types - show friendship and you get it in return with a great big Russian smile.

Can't praise the Russians enough - fabulous country and fantastic people.
Can't wait to get back there.
Mick and Colleen

I QUITE AGREE.
But the anomoly of this to the thread is well put in a quote from 'DG' in a local English language publication, "Russians are so quick to invite you into their homes for some tea, but into their country... well, thats another story."

That was in reference to the Visa/Registration regime but it applies to all officialdom including ÄÏÑ, Roads Police.
(Another stop/documents check today, despite driving our locally registered car!)

Yes, Can you imagine so many English, New Zealandor Ozzies, inviting someone to their houses so readily?, Same In Africa true Moslem tradition, we would go to a tea house drink tea algeria Mali etc, the bill might be us$1 go to pay, no no!!! this man has paid for you as you area guest and they would point to an old man in the corner who would just smile, true hospitalitly
with Checkpoints Same tactic in Africa, stopped at checkpoint , In french "GIve ma a present" or problems, just wait, do not get annoyed and carmly make a cup of tea and the more they saw you did not care and could wait the less interested in you they are.
Heard of "breath tests" in Moscow where everybody turns it red, sober or not!!, one man said he had a cough mixture which had 14% alcohol and this is what caused it, they had to let him go, another tectic is to refuse aqnd demand a new mouthpeice (they may not have them!!) and one man got his childof 6 years age to blow in it, it turned red!!!, they were embrassed and let him go!!Usually want 1000 roubles or more
Usually once they know you are foreign,demand to see the top man and talk friendly and be prepared to wait they will let you go, easier pickings elsewhere!!!
Its just part of the territory and you must adapt to it, Year ago there was a move to sack all the traffic police in the UKraine because they were sooo bad!!!

The roads in Russia (and Kazakhstan) are infested with rapacious traffic police, seeking to extort money from drivers. I was caught breaking the law 6 times (speeding or overtaking) and twice they just wanted to give me words of advice, but 4 times they wanted to bust me and couldn't because I couldn't speak Russian - HA!

Re the hospitality stories - I agree. Just been reading this quote about Algeria from someone I met in the UK -

Algeria

"When I was done for speeding, the policeman explained to me that this was a very serious offence and that the next time I would be locked up. A long pause, then - 'And now perhaps you would do me the honour of coming to my house for dinner'."

you couldn't make it up

I too feel strongly that people who offer bribes too quickly are doing the rest of us a disservice. I am not however automatically criticising anyone who has bribed - I wasn't there, I can't say whether it was 100% necessary. One thing I didn't like about the book Investment Biker was that billionnaire Jim Rogers was forever pulling his wallet out while complaining about corruption. He found bribe situations everywhere he looked. It did not seem to occur to him that he was half the problem.

Great story. And daft enough to be entirely plausible. I found to my surprise that the police and customs in Albania were universally charmed by the fact that I was riding around in an Albania t-shirt (red with a black two-headed eagle).

I'm intrigued. Why do you think that your particular nationality might have made such a difference?

Re the quote by Tony P -
Produce documents pointing at address, or point at registration plate, saying "Anglia"
Pause for it to sink in. Point again saying "London"
Pause for it to sink in. Point again saying "Chelsea"
Pause and await reply of "Ah! Abramovitch".
After hand shaking, go on your way.

This is true! When I crossed from Russia to Kazahkstan, it was just a day or 2 after the Chelsea-Manchester match in Moscow. All the Russians reacted just as Tony says.....then as soon as I crossed the border to Kaz it abruptly changed. Something along the lines of
Produce documents pointing at address, or point at registration plate, saying "Anglia"
Pause for it to sink in. Point again saying "Manchester"
After hand shaking, go on your way.

Russian police will always demand bribes, play their game, if you have 10 riders at the border and negotiating a bribe ... have 5 of your riders turn back and ride 10 miles as if they refuse.. and go home, then tell the "****er" if he wants to make money he can make $200 or BASTA, always have a native speaker with you who can say " **** off" in russian :)

all Russians appreciate a good swear !!!
:scooter:

Hi Rurider,

I'm heading from Ukraine through Russia to Kazakhstan and Central Asia next month. Any suggestions about route?

Thanks.

Hı´travelled from Kerch ınto Russıa and through Russıa wıth no problems last week. there are lots of polıce and check poınts and we got stopped twıce but showed them our passports and we got waved on. Andy

In my personal experience many Eastern European countries are just like that. The only ones I haven't had any border trouble with were Poland, Czech Republic (nice cops, too; got stopped several times and all they did was ask questions about our trip, wanted to see photos, etc.), Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia. The rest - Belarus, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Russia have been responsible for a serious amount of anger, despair, and attempted bribery on several levels at one point or another. Back in 2006 when trying to cross the Polish-Russian border coming from Gdansk going to Kaliningrad actually resulted in us turning around. Paperwork was fine, visas were valid but we strictly refused to pay the alleged 'admission fee' they were trying to charge us (100 Euros per person first, then all of a sudden we qualified for a 'rebate' and only had to pay 50 Euros per person.... yeah, right). After hours of playing the waiting game and endless negotiations we demanded our paperwork back and simply turned around, secretly giving them the finger. It's a shame, really, because I also have to agree with what has been said before: once we passed the border hassles we've met some of the nicest people in Eastern Europe you could possibly imagine.

As far as police check points and alleged traffic violations goes I was able to escape all attempts at bribery. In my experience the South American amigo-tactic works best: ask the first local you meet how to translate amigo and whenever cops stop you and demand a bribe just smile, pat their shoulder, and go "amigo...." in local tongue. Eventually they'll figure out you're not going to pay them and let you go. That obviously only works tho if you're 100% innocent and have not commited any crimes or traffic violations.

Russia 2008
 

Travelling from Murmansk (far North) down to Astrakhan by the Caspian then across into Ukraine, we had a lot of Police stops but didn't pay any bribes at all. You were asked for money and refused, stayed polite and relaxed. A letter of introduction in Cyrillic explaining our trip was useful. Getting your lunch out and looking like you were prepared to wait for ever seemed to work too. Hold out your hand to try for a hand shake. Too much smiling seems to make the Russians think you might be a bit crazy.
The ferry/customs police at the Kerch, delayed us trying to extract money, and in hind-sight it might have been sensible to pay the few bucks rather than wait another couple of hours in the hot sun.
Russian motor-cyclists were great

I don't have as much Eastern European experience as many here (maybe a couple of months total), but I was stopped only once--in the Ukraine, and I was definitely speeding and they definitely caught me on radar. In that case, they let me go after an hour or so, and wouldn't even accept a bribe--not the money I hinted at, not even a chocolate bar. So I'm left wondering....what am I doing differently from other posters? Never a bit of trouble in Albania, Serbia, B&H, Bulgaria, Romania. Only minor issues at borders, all of them basically legit (if sometimes annoying). No bribes. No fines. No bogus stops.

Any ideas? Pure luck of the draw? A special karma which accrues only to KLR riders?

Mark

Lots of people seem to have problems at this border post (like the OP).


I bet the main thing is that you are careful about not speeding or overaking in no-passing zones--if you follow these rules scrupulously, your chances of getting pulled over drop precipitously, unless the cops just want to check out in bike, in which case you don't have to worry about a bribe. I think that many people don't appreciate that usually when they get pulled over and asked for a bribe, it is because they were breaking traffic laws, not just because the cops wanted a bribe.

,I just got back from a trip from Moscow to Latvia and back and the only time I was pulled over was when I passed a tractor on a two-mile long straight-away with a solid white line. Of course the cops were waiting at the end of the straight-away. I actually suspect that they pay the tractor driver to drive back and forth along with stretch of road to maximize their income.

Also, last time I was in Ukraine I was pulled over by local cops who eagerly accepted a bribe, but they said that the federal cops (with fancier cars, kit, and uniforms) won't accept bribes, so maybe you encountered some of them?

A final word of advice; at least in many US states, you can get a duplicate dirvers license. Get one or two of these, and if the cops keep one and demand a bribe to get it back, tell them to keep it and get back on the bike. You can also get multiple copies of an AAA international drivers license, with the same effect.

Hi, guys. I have crossed recently Ukrain, Russia, Kazkhstan and Uzbekistan (still in Aktau waiting the fxxx ferry), and what I can say is all of them are stinky bastards. Is not only the money they want to get, is the time they steal from you. Every one of these sons of a bitch has the power to stop you just because they feel like to do so. Kaz and Uzbek policemen are less propense to bribe but when they see one of our motorcycles they want to see it closely and ask the price, the brand, the model... 10 to 15 minutes wasted just because one stupid redneck wearing uniform wants to satisfy his curiosity. From Tashkent to Samarkand, barely 350 km, they stopped me five times. At last, you want to send them to hell, but you have to be friendly and say again and again where are you from. Fortunately, Spain is well known worldwide because Real Madrid and Barcelona. I hate football but sometimes it helps.

But when they trie to bribe menacing with "protocol" even taking my drivers licence, specially ukraine and russian ones (they can not do that but maybe they do not even know) that is my usual way: I Say "niet" and "embassy". If you have more time to loose than them, it works, but if you are in a hurry, better negociate. No general rules, sorry, every policeman and every time are different and need differents attitudes.

I understand your frustration getting stopped so often, but really is it that big of a deal? You and other bikers are probably the only foreigners some of these guys will ever meet, wouldn't you be curious too? Its just some bored guys in uniform on a lonely stretch of road, cut them some slack. I generally enjoy speaking with these guys (although getting stopped five times would get a little tiresome).

Do you also hate dealing with all those people who waste your time asking questions at gas stations, and the ones who want to take pictures of your bike? You mention something about an embassy, are you a diplomat by any chance?
:innocent:

Hi, Motoreiter. I know what you mean and it is funny sometimes to spend couple minutes being asked about the trip and the bike. Do not miss understanding me. I am having a lot of fun riding the Stans. I like riding here because people are much more open and friendly than in Western World. Is great when you get that kind of warm welcome they reserve for guests. Being guest here is something incredible and nice. Especially in the worst parts of these countries, people are so fantastic and is a real pleasure to be hosted by them and talk about how is each other´s life. The terribly dirty and the lack of comfort can be forgotten because the magic of their generosity.


But burocracy and corruption are a real shit in the former Soviet Union and a lot of people here in Central Asia do not feel any kind of respect for you and your motorcycle. Stopping at gas stations or camping near towns is being disturbed you want or not to have the same chat you had 30 km before and 30 km before. They always want to ride your bike, to sit on it, to try the helmet (fortunately, their heads use to be too big) and, of course, they want you to give them as a present what you have.

It is funny sometimes but not at all when you are just awake in a tent camp, have mechanical problems, trying to phone home, or about running out of petrol. They do not feel they could disturb, they think you are a toy to give them joy. So it is better to the whole reality of the Stans for the others bikers can be thinking about coming, otherwise they could find it pretty annoying.

And about “embassy”, I am not diplomat (if that, my English should be much better), but when they try to bribe without any offence, I said I have no money, I chose right protocol, I write down their numbers and plaque car and I put together my wrists as they were in handcuffs and said “embassy”. More or less, I try to say to them: I have no intention of paying bribe and If you want, you can take me to jail, but then my embassy has to know. It works If they have nothing. But if they are right and I committed any offence, I prefer to deal and pay the bribe.

:cool4:

I hear you, Miquel-Silvestre, the repeat questions and conversations can sure get tedious. Have a good trip!

Make a game of it, those repeated inquiries!
 

Repeated questions, the same ones every 30 min, can get really tedious:funmeterno:.

As they don't have the answers see if the can catch the wrong answers :innocent:

Eg : In India you will always be asked about mileage. After getting fed up, I tell them that it is 30kpl at 100kph, and 100 kpl at 40 kph. HP? Similar, it's fun to keep adding two every time you are asked until you have reached 3x yr actual HP, then subtract 2 till you reach 1/3rd the actual.

At least it keeps it interesting for me

Road bandits - East of Chita
 

Anyone travelling east from Chita towards Vlad watch out for the blokes flagging you down to take all your gear. We had it twice in 2 days. One, the blike sitting apparantly unconcious with a hat and sunspecs on. Mate on mobile flagging you down for help. The rest are in the woods. An older repectable looking flagging us down whilst on mobile for some help. Other cars aroound stopped and occupied, very remote. Wave to them that you are pulling in and drive on! take care..no cops in this area.

mcinaly-
Do you have approximate GPS position for the location or Route number and junctions.

:confused1:JB

GPS Locations
 

No unfortunatly but they move around anyway. One was at a rail crossing and another at a blind bend where you slow down. It will be well away from any town and there is a lead car which pulls in in front to try to lead you in. They do not follow you so just indicate that you are stopping and the go for it. I spoke to the cops about 200km later when i first saw them and they laughed saying 'Ah...mafia'???? Bottom line do not stop for anyone.

You are certainly right to recommend caution, but I don't agree that you shouldn't ever stop for anyone--it is a remote area and if someone really needs help, you might be their only chance. How would you like it if you broke down out there and no one stopped to help the scary biker?

Just use common sense and if something doesn't seem right, keep on going...

Hi
Two hours later and I'm entering a town, police pulled me over and showed me the radar - 75km in city limits. They asked for money, I explained I couldn't speak Russian (it was my 3rd day in Russia) and they let me go.

Reminds of a story my Russian relatives tell, Any Prisioner (you name them in your own country!!) was sentenced to life with hard labour which was pushing a round rock up a hill, He protested and said it was the worst punishement ever and said what could be worse? The judge said you can choose to do this or fight russian coruption, he choose the rock, much easier!!
Few years back I heard the president of the Ukraine was threatening to disband the traffic police as they were so corrupt and even he said the country would be better without them