Kirill Formanchuk

Prior to the attack, Formanchuk had achieved local notoriety by challenging the lawfulness of traffic patrol stops, which are widely perceived in Russia to be corrupt and motivated by a desire for bribes.

After Formanchuk's beating became public, motorists' groups in Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Moscow held demonstrations against the police.

State-run media, which is usually reluctant to air criticism of government authorities, has begun to focus on Formanchuk's story, with one channel referring to his treatment as "outrageous."

The Yekaterinburg edition of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official government newspaper, cited Formanchuk's situation while admonishing law enforcement services to be more cooperative with motorists.

Formanchuk has founded the Committee to Protect the Rights of Motorists[3] (Russian: КЗПА[4]) and opened its offices in Ekaterinburg, Saint Petersburg and Moscow.