Drivers used as 'human roadblock' in Moscow

Moscow's police chief apologised yesterday after motorists were ordered to move their vehicles into the path of a high-speed car chase in a case that sparked a new outcry over police tactics.

Moscow police chief Vladimir Kolokoltsev gave a "stern reprimand" to traffic police chief Sergei Kazantsev and apologised to drivers whose cars were damaged, his spokesman told Russian news agencies.

Investigators and prosecutors opened a criminal probe into the bizarre incident on the Moscow ringroad last week which provoked a furious public reaction after one driver posted an internet video detailing the case.

The video showing how drivers were ordered to create an impromptu roadblock "human shield" has already been viewed more than 154,000 times, in the latest example of the use of the internet in Russia to highlight police abuses.

"The cynicism and thoughtlessness of those officials put the lives of people at risk," Mikhail Grishankov, a lawmaker with the ruling United Russia party told NTV television.

Driver Stanislav Sutyagin said in the video posted that he was driving on the Moscow ringroad on Friday when he was pulled over by traffic police and ordered to park his car partly across the next lane. The traffic police did not explain the reason for the request, he said.

Seconds later, a criminal drove through at high speed, damaging Mr Sutyagin's car and several other vehicles, he said.

Police told drivers that they would not receive any compensation because the armed criminal escaped, Mr Sutyagin complained, saying that drivers were used as a "human shield".

"Are our lives really worth nothing in our country?" he asked, calling the police actions "complete lawlessness". Moscow police said in a statement yesterday that the criminal in the car chase had stolen a woman's handbag.

The scandal comes a month after President Dmitry Medvedev ordered sweeping reforms to Russia's interior ministry. It also highlighted the power of internet postings to show abuses by officials.

In a similar case, Mr Medvedev ordered a probe yesterday into a deadly crash involving a top oil executive's chauffeur-driven car following protests including a rap video on YouTube.

Two female medical staff were killed on a Moscow highway on February 25 when their Citroen was involved in a crash with a Mercedes carrying Anatoly Barkov, vice-president of Russia's largest private oil company Lukoil.

Popular Russian rapper Noize MC publicised the case in a song and video that has been watched by more than 88,000 people on YouTube.

The lyrics include the lines "If you get in the way of my Mercedes, whatever happens/ You'll be the guilty party in a traffic pile-up."

Traffic police initially said the Citroen's driver lost control of her vehicle, but several people told Russian media they witnessed the crash and saw the Mercedes driving into oncoming traffic.

Prompting more suspicions, traffic police on Friday showed journalists security camera footage of the incident, in which the crash site was hidden behind an advertising hoarding.

Mr Medvedev ordered the investigation in response to an open letter signed by public figures including actors, writers and broadcasters.

Drivers are gaining recognition as a powerful grassroots movement, organising well-attended protests across the country on issues such as taxes on imports of second-hand cars.