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Lada Chief Praises Russian Cars, Rides Off in Imported Mercedes
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
AvtoVAZ chief Maksim Sokolov, who publicly praised Lada’s dominant position in Russia’s car market, left the event in a Mercedes-Benz minivan imported through sanctions evasion routes, according to Verstka on March 27.
The outlet reported that Sokolov used the German-made Mercedes-Benz V-Class 300d AT 4MATIC after speaking at a congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
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During the event, he urged broader localization rules across Russian industries and argued that such legislation helps counter imports and push domestic producers toward technological leadership.
In a separate exchange with journalist Aleksandr Yunashev, Sokolov also highlighted Lada’s market strength, describing the brand as the clear leader in domestic vehicle sales.
Video from the scene later showed him leaving in the Mercedes, and Verstka reported that the vehicle’s license plate and VIN helped trace its background. The outlet wrote that the minivan was manufactured in Germany and entered Russia through Belarus in July 2022.
The case drew attention because European authorities restricted luxury car exports to Russia shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while Western brands including Mercedes-Benz also withdrew from the Russian market.
Despite that, foreign vehicles have continued entering the country through parallel-import channels, including via Belarus.
The case also aligns with broader evidence that high-end foreign vehicles continue reaching Russia despite export bans.
An investigation found that since March 2022, 214 luxury vehicles worth about $75 million entered Russia despite EU and UK sanctions, underscoring how demand among the country’s wealthy has remained intact.
The shipments included Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Rolls-Royce models, moving through parallel import channels even after formal export bans on high-end goods took effect.
Researchers traced the trade to at least 15 countries, including EU member states as well as Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, China, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
About half of the transactions were reportedly settled in euros or US dollars, suggesting payment flows still touched Western financial systems and may remain visible to regulators.
