In Yekaterinburg, students have begun to be fined en masse for parking near the university.

      Near the former parking lot by UrFU at 19 Mira Street, they banned leaving cars by putting up "No stopping" signs.

      With the start of the new academic year, drivers have been hit with fines issued using "Parkons". Students complained they have been put in a hopeless position because there is simply nowhere to leave their cars.

      "We're already starting to receive fines. If you won't be allowed to park on Mira, then all the students will park anywhere: in courtyards, on curbs, bothering residents. UrFU does have a parking lot, but it's closed, and only staff park there. We study and work, but students don't earn millions to pay a 1,600‑ruble fine every day," one of UrFU's students told the E1.RU portal.

      Another postgraduate student at UrFU's Institute of Economics and Management (INEU) also thinks the parking situation is very difficult.

      "It was a convenient spot, nobody bothered anyone. If classes are during the day or evening, you can't find a free space. I live in Uralmash, my classes are on Mira. By tram it takes about an hour to get there, sometimes more. In winter you have to trudge in the cold from the building to the stop, then cram into the tram. By the time you get home you're exhausted. I'd really like them to reopen the parking lot and have it properly designated," the student added.

      The university itself said that road infrastructure is not within its competence. The rules for drivers are set by the municipality. The Yekaterinburg city hall emphasized that it has not received any appeals from citizens about this problem.