Mikhail, a young police officer in the northern Russian city of Petrozavodsk, has been scaring the bejesus out of residents of his apartment block with his hobby of running up and down a dark, poorly lit stairwell for exercise.
Local newspapers have explained that the resident of the 16 story building climbs a total of 2,880 steps to reach the summit, all while wearing a portable flashlight on his head.
9 February 2015, 18:07 GMT
Not all his neighbors understand the strange hobby, and the officer has been known to scare weekend partiers and housewives, who step out onto the stairwell's balconies for a view of the city. Others support the young lieutenant, and have nicknamed him 'BatMent' ['ment' meaning cop in Russian]; his fans say, "let him run; it gives us a sense of calm, and hooligans definitely won't be bothering our building."
"Do not be afraid, I am not a maniac! On the contrary, my duty is to save the world!," the guardian of peace and justice told a frightened housewife who was caught off-guard while smoking on the balcony when he jumped out of the shadows with a lantern on his head. "But smoking is harmful and forbidden in the stairwell," he added.
