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Russian Traffic Police Fine Cyclist for Damaging a Pothole

Dmitry Feoktistov / TASS

The wheels of justice are turning in Russia. 

A cyclist in the city of Penza has been fined for causing damage to a local pothole. 

Andrei Chikin suffered bruises and damaged his bike when he ran into a snow-covered pothole in November 2017, he told the Lenta.ru news website on Wednesday. 

The victim filed an official complaint about the existence of the pothole to traffic police following the incident, after which he was handed an administrative fine. 

“Chikin A.V. ran over a pothole while steering a Forward Apache bicycle, causing damage,” reads the traffic police ruling posted on Chikin’s social media page. 

After filing a complaint against the ruling, citing a lack of evidence that the pothole was damaged, the offense was ruled as “minor” and the traffic police ruling let Chikin go with a “verbal reprimand.” 

The pothole has reportedly been fixed after the offending cyclist filed an appeal to city authorities.

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