Russia is considering a draft law that would let vehicles taken from EU countries and other states Moscow calls “hostile” be registered in Russia. The bill, prepared by the Interior Ministry at President Vladimir Putin’s direction, is intended to protect owners whose cars appear on international wanted lists that Moscow says were issued for political reasons. Alongside the 27 EU members, the draft lists Switzerland, Norway, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia as hostile. It would also apply to vehicles Ukraine has declared missing, including those taken from occupied Ukrainian territory.
Under current Russian rules, vehicles subject to international search warrants cannot be registered. The Interior Ministry argues it often cannot learn why a car is flagged in international databases, and that since the start of the war in Ukraine authorities in countries Moscow deems hostile have not answered Russian requests for information. The ministry said that in January 2026 it had found 123 vehicles that Germany had reported as wanted internationally but that German authorities did not provide details about the warrants.
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police office (BKA), which investigates car theft, told DW there is presently no exchange of information with Russia on such cases. The BKA confirmed it has received Russian inquiries about vehicles listed by Germany, but said those queries mostly concern civil-law issues such as ownership or repatriation, which fall outside the BKA’s remit. The agency declined to speculate whether the proposed Russian change could increase car thefts in Germany. In 2024, 30,373 vehicles were stolen in Germany and authorities solved just under 30% of cases (8,858).
Benjamin Jendro, spokesman for Berlin’s police union GdP, said there is not an intensive official exchange with Russia on many levels. He noted Russian authorities have sometimes located cars sought by Germany, but argued it is unlikely German officials would travel to Russia to retrieve them—especially where insurers have already settled claims. Jendro described the draft law as a “disastrous sign” that could encourage crime and further weaken efforts to combat international car‑trafficking networks. He added that stolen vehicles frequently end up in Eastern Europe where they are dismantled, and that some cars are taken to order and moved quickly to places where recovery becomes impossible.
Some Russian experts warn the plan could fuel insurance fraud. Alexander Kholodov of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation recalled cases in the 1990s and early 2000s in which cars sold in Germany turned up in Russia after their owners declared them stolen and received insurance payouts. Lawyer Sergei Smirnov said the proposed law could invite similar schemes: cars stolen in Europe, insurance claims paid out, and the vehicles then smuggled to Russia and legalized.
Germany’s Insurance Association (GDV) said it has no evidence that staged-theft schemes of that kind are widespread and expects most vehicle thefts to be ordinary crimes. The GDV does not anticipate that a legal change in Russia would cause a major rise in car thefts in Germany.
This article was originally published in German.