Criminal combinations of letters on numbers: decoding and risks

Many drivers, standing in a traffic jam or waiting for a green traffic light, have noticed that some cars attract special attention. We are not talking about luxury sports cars, but about ordinary-looking cars, the numbers of which consist of strange but memorable letter combinations. People call them “thieves”, “beautiful” or VIP rooms. Interest in them is generated by myths about the permissiveness of their owners, although the reality often turns out to be much more prosaic and interesting.

The phenomenon of “thieves” license plates in Russia has deep roots going back to the Soviet past, when the distribution of vehicles and signs was the privilege of the nomenklatura. Today, the market for such registration plates is a complex conglomerate of real license plates of law enforcement agencies, random lucky combinations and outright imitation created for the sake of status. Understanding what is hidden behind these letters helps you better navigate the road hierarchy and avoid misunderstandings.

In this article we will analyze in detail which letter combinations are considered elite, how they were distributed historically and what modern legislation dictates. You'll find out why some drivers are willing to pay millions for the privilege of driving with certain area codes and letters, and whether such numbers have any real power in the face of the law.

Historical context and origins of the special series

The tradition of assigning specific letter series to certain departments originated in the USSR. Back then, a car was a luxury, and only a select few had access to driving a vehicle. For operational (identification) of “friends” on the roads, special codes were used. For example, series MOL originally intended for cars serving members of the Politburo, which automatically gave such cars a special status on the road.

After the collapse of the Union, the number distribution system did not disappear, but was transformed. New abbreviations have appeared associated with new government structures. The series became the most famous and legendary EKH, which was jokingly deciphered as “I Food As I Want,” but officially it was assigned to cars of the Federal Security Service (FSO). Drivers with such license plates had the broadest powers, including the right to ignore traffic rules when performing a special task.

In the 90s and early 2000s, a black market emerged where such numbers were bought and sold. However, over time, control over the issuance of signs became stricter. Now it is almost impossible for an ordinary citizen to obtain a real "thieves" series through legal means, unless he occupies a high government position. Most of these license plates found on the roads today are either old signs that were inherited by car owners, or skillful imitation.

⚠️ Attention: Owning a license plate with a historical “special series” (for example, AMP, KEK) does not provide any legal advantages over the traffic police if you do not have the appropriate documents for the car and a certificate confirming the status. Trying to “give authority” to the inspector can lead to a thorough check of the entire history of the car.

It is important to understand that many series that are considered elite today were once issued en masse. For example, series AMR (AutoMotors or Moscow District Administration) in the 90s was distributed among deputies and officials at various levels. Over time, these cars were sold to private individuals, and now such numbers can be found on ordinary budget sedans, which creates a comical contrast between the status of the number and the class of the car.

Top most famous "thieves" series

In modern Russia, a stable hierarchy of letter combinations has developed. Knowing these codes allows you to understand at first glance which structure or department the car is formally assigned to. Of course, the presence of such letters on a license plate does not always guarantee that it belongs to the special services, but it does indicate the ambitions of the owner or his connections.

Below is a list of the most recognizable and significant series that are traditionally in the field of view of the traffic police and the public:

• 🚔 AMR, KEK, MRR - series assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. They are considered one of the most “protected” on the roads, since the owners are often related to law enforcement agencies.
• 🏛 EKH, EHK - the legendary FSO (Federal Security Service) series. Cars with such license plates are often included in the motorcades of top government officials.
• ⚖️ AAA, AAO, AMM - series that are often associated with Administration or government agencies. The decoding may vary in different regions, but the status remains high.
• 🚒 Ministry of Emergency Situations, ROS — formally should belong to emergency services, but are often found on civilian cars, which is a violation.

Standing apart are the so-called “mirror” and repeating numbers, such as 777, 999, 001 in combination with “beautiful” letters (for example, A001AA). They are not tied to a specific agency, but their value on the black market can reach tens of thousands of dollars. Owners of such numbers do not buy immunity, but status and attention.

It is worth noting that in different regions of Russia the attitude towards certain letters may differ. In St. Petersburg, for example, numbers with core 78 and 98 regions in combination with letters forming an abbreviation are highly valued St. Petersburg (although the letter “b” is not used in numbers, so combinations like C*B are used, imitating an abbreviation). At the same time, in Moscow the concentration of “thieves” per square kilometer of road is the highest in the country.

Legality of purchasing and selling special license plates

From a legal point of view, in Russia prohibited purchase and sale of state registration plates (GRP) separately from the car. The number is a document that is issued to a specific vehicle. However, the market for “beautiful” numbers exists and flourishes, using various loopholes in the law.

The basic scheme for legalizing a desired license plate looks like a car sales transaction. The owner of the “thieves” license plate sells the car along with the license plate to the buyer. After registering the transaction, the new owner can keep the license plates for himself, and the carrier car (often an old Zhiguli or a broken foreign car) can be disposed of or sold back. Thus, money is paid not for metal and plastic, but for the right to own a combination of numbers and letters.

There is also the concept of “switching” numbers. The owner can keep his number in the traffic police for up to 360 days after selling the car. During this period, he can buy another car and immediately install the saved number on it. This is taken advantage of by resellers who formally act as intermediaries in the chain of transactions.

⚠️ Attention: Legislation is constantly changing. The State Duma periodically considers bills on the introduction of auctions for the sale of “beautiful” rooms, where the proceeds would go to the budget. At the time of writing, such auctions have not been launched, but you need to follow the news.

Buying a license plate second-hand without registering a car carries huge risks. You may encounter scammers who will take your money and disappear, or your number will be wanted. In addition, if it is proven that the car sale transaction was fictitious (the car was not in use, it was parked in one place), the registration may be cancelled.

Popular code decoding table

For ease of perception of information about which departments are historically assigned to certain letter codes, the following table has been compiled. Remember that the presence of such letters on a private car today is most often a tribute to fashion or an attempt to create the appearance of involvement in power.

As can be seen from the table, most of the “elite” letters are in one way or another connected with law enforcement agencies. This creates an aura of impunity around them. However, statistics from road inspections show that traffic police inspectors are increasingly stopping just such cars for a “preventive conversation” to check whether documents have been falsified.

Imitation and counterfeit: a fine line of the law

The desire to stand out or create the appearance of an important person pushes some car enthusiasts to install imitation license plates. This could be frames with inscriptions that overlap the region, or the use of letters from other alphabets that are visually similar to the Cyrillic alphabet (for example, replacing the Russian “B” with the Latin “B”, although in the allowed set for Russian Federation numbers the Latin alphabet is already taken into account: A, B, E, K, M, H, O, P, C, T, Y, X).

A more crude form is the use of non-standard fonts, stickers or changing the design of the sign. For example, drivers can glue on additional elements to make the letter "O" look like a "Q" or change the color of the letters. All these actions fall under Article 12.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (“Violation of the rules for installing devices on a vehicle for giving special light or sound signals, or illegal installation of an identification light of a passenger taxi on a vehicle”) and part 4 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

The consequences of using fake or altered numbers are severe: