UrBC, Yekaterinburg, January 11, 2019. Sverdlovsk Region division of Rospotrebnadzor (the state-regulated consumer rights watchdog) is willing to offer legal advice to drivers who were forced to stay in Koltsovo Airport’s parking lot for longer than the free-of-charge fifteen minutes and thus had to pay extra in parking fees, the division reports in answer to UrBC’s recent query.

‘Under the terms of Russia’s Civil Code (Article 401, Paragraph 1), a person is generally liable for failing to meet certain requirements, through either premeditation or negligence, except for the cases where the law points to other causes of liability. A person is declared not guilty if all the steps were taken to meet the requirements, with all the necessary precautions. This means if a driver did not willingly choose to stay in the airport’s parking lot for longer than fifteen minutes and had to pay extra, they can claim for damages,’ the division explains.

It is reported that a driver can seek legal help, including help with the filing of the claim, at Sverdlovsk Region Hygiene & Epidemiology Center’s consumer support branches.