Is a new wave of car thefts on the horizon?
For more than a century, Russia built a reputation as a haven for thieves and opportunists. During the war years, it effectively legalised the seizure of foreign factories and even aircraft. Now the country’s interior ministry floated a new initiative that could make the registration of cars wanted by so called unfriendly states entirely legal inside Russia. Until now, registering vehicles listed in international databases was close to impossible. The proposed regulation would grant them a form of amnesty, a characteristically cynical nod to a new reality in which Western legal systems and databases no longer carry weight in Moscow.
Under the plan, Russian residents could register vehicles declared wanted in countries the Kremlin considers hostile. The official argument claims that many of these cases stem from unfair or politically motivated restrictions that prevent Russian citizens from fully using their property. The interior ministry argues that once a car reaches Russia and its current holder qualifies as a good faith buyer, interest from a foreign police force should not block the issue of local registration plates.
This move directly undermines international cooperation against vehicle theft. Where Russian authorities once exchanged information efficiently through Interpol, political tensions now clog that channel. The result is a scenario in which luxury cars stolen in Europe or elsewhere and transported to Russia could soon drive legally through the streets of Saint Petersburg or Moscow, without owners fearing confiscation during registration. It resembles a car laundering operation, making it far easier and more profitable to clean stolen property once it crosses certain borders.
The draft regulation allows registration if the search request originated from an unfriendly state and no criminal link is established under Russian law. That wording leaves a vast grey area. Who decides whether a car was stolen through ordinary crime or flagged as part of political retaliation? The risk is obvious. Such a change opens the door to grey imports and organised crime, offering safe harbour to vehicles whose journey began quietly in the suburbs of Berlin or Warsaw, without the owner’s knowledge.
Officially, the policy is framed as protection of citizens’ interests. In practice, it signals Russia’s continued retreat from the international legal order. It is a convenient fix for a country where official imports of Western cars dried up and shortages are filled by any means available. Whether Russia turns into a paradise for stolen vehicles is almost a rhetorical question. The move simply formalises a reality in which taking from a neighbour becomes acceptable, provided that neighbour stands on the wrong side of the political divide. For the automotive world, it sets a troubling precedent that makes cross border car trade even more unpredictable and risky.
