Cops from former Cold War allies Russia and Ukraine had a set-to, after a proposed speeding fine let to an inter-police brawl.
The two nations periodically make headlines over their fractious gas relationship, which stems from the difficulties of negotiating post-Soviet agreements between former bedfellows.
But it seems that the Russian cop - who was caught at twice the speed limit in neighbouring Ukraine - felt that the old spirit of comradeship should hold sway over a speeding rap.
However, police on a highway in the east of the country - who clocked the Russian at a hefty 180kph (112.5mph) - disagreed.
After hauling the driver's black Lexus over, they attempted to write a ticket - ignoring the Russian's protests that his police identification should see him avoid any penalty.
According to News24.com, the Russian simply refused to be ticketed and instead kicked off a brawl, which saw him biting off the fingertip of a Ukrainian colleague.
Appearing in court in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia, however, the Russian apparently excused the digital assault by claiming he had been attacked and was trying to defend himself.
Quoting online magazine Korrespondent, News24.com said that the stopped cop remained in Ukrainian custody at the start of this week. It reported an attorney for the Ukrainian officers saying that their colleague from the north had used provocative language and violence to cause a conflict.
Some former Soviet countries are notorious for the liberal attitude those in authority have to enforcing the law. In June, a Moscow police chase saw an allegedly corrupt government official hurling millions of roubles from his car window in an attempt to avoid bribery charges.
In that case, The Moscow Times noted that "government inspections ranging from police to health or fire safety agencies are widely seen as a means to extort bribes".
