My car was damaged in a parking lot and the culprit's license plate is visible on video. What should I do?

The main thing is to get the video recording from the parking management and go to the police with it right away. Make sure to file a hit-and-run report, even if the cars aren't next to each other anymore. Using the license plate from the video, the police will be able to identify the owner and driver, and then they'll deal with their insurance. You don't need to track down the person yourself - that's the authorities' job - just give them the evidence.

As for the parking management claiming you need to find the driver yourself - that's them trying to dodge responsibility. By law they have to provide the video recording when there's been a hit-and-run, and they have no right to refuse. If they start giving you a hard time, mention that you'll file a complaint about them refusing to hand over recordings during a hit-and-run investigation. Usually that does the trick 😊

After you go to the police, your insurance company can then work with the information from law enforcement. If your insurance keeps demanding that you find the driver yourself, file complaints against them with the RAS (Russian Union of Auto Insurers) - it's their responsibility to help identify the at-fault party when evidence exists, not to shift it onto the victim.

It's not quite right to think the insurance company "let you off" - they're just following the law, because without your consent it's harder to reach an agreement with the at-fault driver. But yeah, go to the police with the video, it makes sense, just don't expect miracles: often they say it's a civil matter and suggest you find the driver yourself through registration authorities using the car number. If the police refuse, you're left paying for the damage assessment yourself and then recovering it from the at-fault driver through court - it's a long process. As for the parking lot management: yes, demand the video footage on an official request, that's your right, but don't expect much help in tracking down the driver.

Go straight to the police with the video recording - they'll open a hit-and-run case, and without that no insurance company will look into it. The parking management is obligated to provide you with a copy of the recording in response to a written request, so don't ask them to help you track down the driver, just demand the video as evidence.