Russia could become the haven of stolen cars in Europe. The controversial bill requested by Vladimir Putin
At the initiative of Vladimir Putin, Russia is considering a legislative change that would allow the registration of vehicles stolen from Western countries, an initiative that is causing major concerns in Europe.
Russia could legalize the registration of cars stolen from “hostile countries”. PHOTO: athiva
Vehicles stolen from the European Union could soon become perfectly legal on Russian roads, where they could be registered without any problem if a series of legislative changes being considered in Moscow are adopted.
Since the beginning of February, the Russian Ministry of the Interior has been promoting a bill officially intended to “protect the interests of car owners whose vehicles have been pursued at the initiative of hostile states”. But the initiative has raised concerns in Germany, where police unions warn of a possible increase in car thefts in Europe, dw reports.
Legislative changes at Putin's request
Russian daily Kommersant reported that the Ministry of the Interior prepared the project at the direct direction of President Vladimir Putin and that it targets vehicles from the 27 EU member states, as well as Switzerland, Norway, the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia, all of which Moscow considers “hostile states”.
These would obviously include vehicles declared missing by Ukraine, especially those taken from the territories under Russian occupation.
Russia blames Germany's lack of cooperation
Currently, Russian law prohibits the registration of vehicles under international surveillance, but Moscow charges that access to information on why a car is included in such a base is limited due to the absence of answers from Western states, and plans to change the law.
According to the Russian Interior Ministry, Germany would ignore the requests “for political reasons”. In January 2026, 123 internationally wanted vehicles were identified in Russia by German authorities, but Berlin reportedly refused to provide further details in these cases.
What does Germany say?
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), responsible for investigating car thefts, confirms the lack of cooperation with Russia.
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“The BKA is aware of the requests of the Russian authorities regarding the vehicles listed by Germany. However, as they mainly concern civil law matters (property and the owner's interest in recovering the vehicle), the BKA has no jurisdiction,” the institution stated.
The BKA did not comment on the possible impact of the new Russian law, if it is adopted, but the figures in Germany are worrying: 30,373 vehicles were stolen in 2024, and only 30% of the cases were solved.
“A disastrous signal that encourages crime”
The GdP police union in Berlin is, however, not as restrained in its statements and states that this legislative project promoted by Russia is “a disastrous signal: “For years we have had a stable level of vehicle theft, a very high one. Such a law would further undermine the authorities' fight against international stolen car trafficking networks.”
“As far as we know, there have been cases in the past where Russian authorities have cooperated and wanted vehicles have been recovered there,” said Benjamin Jendro, GdP spokesman, stating that the current situation makes recovery practically impossible.
“One can imagine that at the moment, no German official is likely to go to Russia to recover a stolen car, especially since insurance claims have often already been paid by the time the vehicle is found,” he completed.
Risk of insurance fraud
There are also critics from Russian experts, who draw attention to another effect: the reactivation of insurance fraud, very widespread in the 90s.
Alexander Kholodov, a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, recalls the practice of “staged thefts”.
“This already existed in the 90s and early 2000s. It was about the so-called staged thefts: the car is sold in Germany, arrives in Russia, and only a month later the owner reports it missing. Then he also receives compensation from the insurance company in Germany,” says Alexander Kholodov.
The idea was also reinforced by the Russian lawyer Sergei Smirnov: “The new law could lead to an increase in insurance fraud abroad. Cars are stolen in Europe, victims receive compensation, the vehicles are then illegally transported to Russia and legalized by registration.”
On the other hand, however, the German Association of Insurers (GDV) contradicted the fears regarding massive frauds.
“We have no knowledge of the scheme described and believe most vehicle thefts are real, not staged,” said GDV representatives, adding that they do not expect a significant increase in thefts in Germany, even if Moscow adopts the controversial bill.
