Let's just say, you don't want to get caught parking illegally in Russia. <object width="464" height="376" id="2033285" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" alt="Russian Tow Truck Fail Funny Videos"><param name="movie" value="http://embed.break.com/MjAzMzI4NQ=="></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://embed.break.com/MjAzMzI4NQ==" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess=always width="464" height="376"></embed></object><br><font size=1><a href="http://www.break.com/index/russian-tow-truck-fail-2033285" target="_blank">Russian Tow Truck Fail</a> - Watch more <a href="http://www.break.com/" target="_blank">Funny Videos</a></font>
after living in moscow for years, i can tell you that there is no real parking rules to follow. you park where you have a spot. people frequently park on the sidewalk. in courtyards to housing buildings, people park and pack in until others cannot get out, and you have to sit in your car beeping until people behind you hear and decide they're going to move their car. one night, i parked on novi arbat (a street with lots of casinos, bars, etc.) and they decided to pave the main street. so they towed all the cars that were legally parked and put them in different parking locations on another street. i had no idea where to go to get my car, and had to give them militia 300 rubles for them to show me where the hell they put it. they wouldnt tell me otherwise. no ticket, just picked it up and moved it so they could pave suddenly. many so called "parking spaces" are run by mafia type parking attendants who run to you when you park, charge you a fee (for a public spot) and if you dont pay it...well, actually i dont know what happens as i never took the chance. when it snows (which is frequently) the flimsy rules they have go out the window completely.