Russians Will Be Allowed To Register Vehicles That Are On An International Wanted List
- 18.07.2026, 15:26
The bill was drafted at Putin's request.
The Russian government has proposed granting the Ministry of Internal Affairs the authority to register vehicles listed in the Interpol database. The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted a corresponding bill to the State Duma. 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 draft amendments were submitted in February 2026. The Ministry of Internal Affairs explained the need for the changes by noting that, following the start of the war in Ukraine, Western countries have virtually stopped responding 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 failed to respond to requests regarding 123 vehicles.
According to the ministry, a total of 1,500 foreign-made cars listed on the international wanted list have been discovered in Russia since 2022. The owners of such vehicles attempt to have them registered through the courts, but their requests are usually denied because no such mechanism is 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 President Vladimir Putin “to protect 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 parallel imports—the import of goods without the rights holder’s permission—were legalized. As Autonews reported, many cars supplied in this manner subsequently ended up in Interpol’s database as stolen.
Fraudsters 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 with the Traffic Police. According to Autonews, Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are the most popular brands among cars imported through parallel import channels.