Russians will be allowed to register vehicles that are on an international wanted list
19 July 22:12
The Russian government has proposed granting the Ministry of Internal Affairs the authority to register vehicles that have been added to the Interpol database. The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted a corresponding bill to the State Duma. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
This primarily concerns vehicles that are wanted by “unfriendly” countries but were imported into Russia and purchased by Russian citizens. Current legislation prohibits the registration of such vehicles.
The bill was introduced in February 2026. The Ministry of Internal Affairs explained the need for the changes by noting that, since the start of the war in Ukraine, Western countries have practically failed to respond to its requests. As a result, the police cannot reliably determine whether a vehicle was actually stolen or under what circumstances it was placed on an international wanted list. As an example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs cited Germany, which did not respond to requests regarding 123 vehicles.
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According to the ministry, 1,500 foreign-made cars listed on international wanted lists have been discovered in Russia since 2022 alone. The owners of these vehicles attempt to have them registered through the courts, but their requests are usually denied because such a procedure is not provided for in the law. Currently, only the initiating country can remove these vehicles from the Interpol database.
According to the explanatory note, the bill was drafted at the behest of dictator Vladimir Putin with the aim of protecting the legitimate interests of individuals who own vehicles sought on the initiative of unfriendly states.
The problem arose after Western automakers withdrew from Russia in 2022 and the legalization of parallel imports—the importation of goods without the rights holder’s permission. As Autonews reported, many cars imported in this manner later ended up in Interpol’s database as stolen.
Criminals would lease popular foreign cars in Europe, resell them to Russia via third countries—such as the UAE—and then stop making payments. Afterward, the leasing companies would place the vehicles on an international wanted list. Owners who purchased such cars in Russia often only found out about this when they tried to register them. According to Autonews, the most popular brands among cars imported through parallel import channels are Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
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