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Russia Moves to Legalize Stolen Cars From Europe, Canada, and Ukraine
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Russia is advancing legislation that would allow vehicles reported stolen in Europe, Canada, and Ukraine to be registered legally in Russia, even if they remain on Interpol’s international wanted list.
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According to Russian media Kommersant on October 28, the Russian State Duma’s Transport Committee recommended that lawmakers approve a bill drafted by the Interior Ministry in its first reading. The proposal would establish special registration procedures for vehicles wanted by law enforcement agencies in countries Moscow officially classifies as “unfriendly.”
Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov told lawmakers that the proposed changes were partly driven by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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He explained that Russian authorities in occupied Ukrainian territories have encountered difficulties registering vehicles previously registered in Ukraine because Ukrainian law enforcement agencies had placed them on Interpol’s wanted list.
Under existing Russian regulations, vehicles subject to international search notices cannot be registered, even if they have already entered Russian territory. Zubov described the proposed legislation as a temporary solution intended to prevent such vehicles from remaining unused.
The Interior Ministry prepared the proposal in February 2026, and the Russian government subsequently submitted it to the State Duma in June. The initiative follows a separate ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court involving a St. Petersburg resident who purchased a vehicle stolen in Canada.
In October, the court sided with the buyer after Russian traffic police refused to register the vehicle because of its international wanted status. The ruling was presented as protecting buyers who had purchased imported vehicles in good faith.
According to The Moscow Times on October 28, Russia has become a major destination for vehicles stolen in Europe and North America since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the introduction of Western sanctions.
Between February 2024 and July 2026, Interpol recorded 4,798 reports involving vehicles stolen in Canada that were subsequently operated in Russia, the outlet reported.
Thousands of additional imported vehicles entering Russia through parallel import channels, including routes through the United Arab Emirates, have also reportedly appeared in international stolen-vehicle databases.
During the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian troops seized civilian vehicles from occupied Ukrainian territories, with some later spotted in Belarus without license plates and bearing Russian military “V” markings.
The United Nations also documented Russian forces confiscating vehicles from private homes, businesses, and civilians at checkpoints for military and personal use.
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-164cd2ce81b008081da0b59cb30a4967.jpg "Russian leader Vladimir Putin visits a rehabilitation center for Russian soldiers wounded during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Moscow on December 3, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)")
-40eb04f6d5ebcce63c4417c4026f49e2.jpg "Canadian volunteer Jesse Adams. (Source: @raincoastdogrescue/Instagram)")
