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Especially the southern provinces [[Dagestan]], [[Chechnya]] (worldwide most victims), [[Ingushetia]], [[North Ossetia]] and [[Kabardino-Balkaria]] have problems with land-mines.
Hitchhiking in Russian is "Autostop" “Autostop” (Автостоп). It literally means "stopping cars"“stopping cars”, and is basically the only word 100% understood as Hitching (i.e. traveling by getting lifts for free).
===Girls and solo-hitching===
Many Russian girls do hitch alone, and still scary stories seldom hit the news lines. It does not at all mean that the country is free of perverts, and almost all of the solo-travelers (not necessarily girls) will tell you accounts of some sexual harassment they have encountered while hitching. 99% of such encounters end OK with nothing more serious then words but if you do not want to be asked for sex – or to hold a camera while somebody is masturbating – consider finding a travel buddy.
Somehow, Russians are still very amused by foreigners, and many report that solo traveling even extremely long distances, like Central and Eastern Russia, for a foreign girl who speaks some Russian is absolutely safe since she is treated like someone 'from ‘from the outside' outside’ by virtually everyone. Keep in mind that being a foreigner you are somewhat protected from some issues that Russian hitchhikers face on the roads.
===Police and formalities===
Also, Russia still does not have a freedom of movement. That applies to both natives and foreigners; officially, you have to register in 3 days while staying in any city, village, etc. Practically, villages and towns can be neglected, but please do register once you arrive to a big city (especially Moscow), unless you are planning to stay for less then 3 days. Normally any hostel or hotel you stay in will do it for you; even if you are staying at some friend's you might ask their staff for help too.
If you do not plan to stay for a long time just have some strong evidence that you have just arrived. Buy a hamburger and keep the receipt before leaving some nice town or city you pass by (make sure there is the place's place‘s name on it). The train or bus tickets are the best means to persuade cops you are not hanging around St.Petersburg for half a year already, so you might take a short ride on a local train from time to time to have a set of tickets marking your way.
== Cities ==
