Russian vigilante group targets ‘rude’ drivers, but you can probably guess how this ends

When you put the term “vigilante group” next to the word “Russia,” a slightly unpleasant thought comes to mind.

But StopXam, although sometimes violent, isn’t the usual form ‘citizen inspired’ vigilantism that we’re used to hearing about coming from Russia these days. Their goal is to stop bad driving with “politeness,” rather than the confrontations that Russian dash cam videos have made so famous the last few years.

StopXam (meaning ‘stop rudeness’), originated in Moscow in 2010, with several branches emerging in neighboring countries such as Moldova.

Some drivers get the message quickly and comply. But for those stubborn drivers, a giant sticker that covers up almost half of their windshield is their punishment.

“We will give you a sticker on your front window and it will be very uncomfortable for you to drive with it,” they warn. If the driver still doesn’t budge, they go ahead and paste the sticker, which reads: “I don’t care about other people, I park where I want.”

So given StopXam’s stated intent, you might be wondering, “Wouldn’t some drivers not take kindly to having their windows vandalized?” Well, yeah. That’s why there’s quite a few videos of drivers assaulting members of the group. This works out pretty well for StopXam since their YouTube channel has hundreds of millions of views — using the revenue to cover the cost of stickers and replacing broken camera equipment.

“Politeness is part and parcel of our movement,” said StopXam leader Dmitry Chugunov. “If we call ourselves ‘Stop Rudeness,’ we can’t then be rude to people. Some drivers are very violent. I’ve been threatened with a firearm thousands of times. But we want to build a civil society to make democracy work. So that is a conscious choice that we make.”

We wish them all the luck in the world, but this really can’t end well.

h/t: Oddity Central