Russia is considering a law that would allow vehicles taken from EU countries and brought into Russia to be legally registered. The draft, prepared by the Interior Ministry at President Vladimir Putin’s direction, aims to protect owners whose cars “have been listed as wanted on the initiative of hostile states,” the ministry said. Alongside the 27 EU members, Moscow lists countries such as Switzerland, Norway, the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia as “hostile.” The proposal would also cover vehicles Ukraine has declared missing, apparently including cars taken from occupied Ukrainian territories.
Currently, Russian rules bar registration of vehicles subject to international search warrants. The Interior Ministry says, however, that Russian authorities often cannot determine why a vehicle is included in international databases, and that since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, authorities in what Moscow calls “hostile states” have not replied to Russian requests for information. Germany is singled out: Moscow claims Berlin ignores inquiries “for political reasons.” The ministry said 123 vehicles that Germany had reported as wanted internationally were located in Russia in January 2026, but that German authorities did not provide details about the search warrants.
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police (BKA), responsible for investigating car theft, told DW there is currently no exchange of information with Russia on such cases. The BKA confirmed it has received inquiries from Russian authorities about vehicles listed by Germany but said these typically concern civil-law matters (ownership and repatriation), which are outside the BKA’s remit. The agency declined to speculate whether the proposed Russian law might boost car thefts in Germany. In 2024, 30,373 vehicles were stolen in Germany and just under 30% of cases (8,858) were solved.
Benjamin Jendro, spokesperson for the Berlin police union GdP, said there is “no intensive official exchange” with Russia on many levels. He noted that while Russian authorities have sometimes located cars sought by Germany, it is unlikely German officials would travel to Russia to retrieve them, especially after insurers have often settled claims. Jendro described the draft law as a “disastrous sign” that could encourage crime and further undermine efforts against international car-trafficking gangs. He said stolen cars commonly end up in Eastern Europe where they are often dismantled, and some vehicles are stolen to order and quickly moved to countries where recovery is no longer possible.
Some Russian experts warn the change could fuel insurance fraud. Alexander Kholodov of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation told Autonews that in the 1990s and early 2000s there were cases of staged theft: cars sold in Germany ended up in Russia, the owner later reported them missing and received insurance payouts. Russian lawyer Sergei Smirnov said the new law could encourage similar schemes: vehicles stolen in Europe, insured payouts paid, and the cars then illegally transported to Russia and legalized.
Germany’s Insurance Association (GDV) said it has no evidence that such staged-theft schemes are widespread and believes most vehicle thefts are genuine crimes. The GDV does not expect a legal change in Russia to cause a significant rise in car thefts in Germany.
This article was originally published in German.