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Russia wants to legalize cars stolen in EU

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · · 918 words · By Nikita Oshuev
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What to know about Russia wants to legalize cars stolen in EU

Russia wants to legalize cars stolen in EU March 29, 2026Russia may soon allow people to legally register vehicles stolen in the EU and brought into the country.

Claims checked 26
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center83%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Russia wants to legalize cars stolen in EU March 29, 2026Russia may soon allow people to legally register vehicles stolen in the EU and brought into the country.

Why it matters

Lawmakers there have been discussing legislative changes to that effect proposed by the Russian Interior Ministry since early February.

Common ground

The plan has sparked fears in Germany that the new law could lead to a sharp rise in the number of stolen cars.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/russia-wants-to-legalize-cars-stolen-in-eu/a-76582804?maca…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 26 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 16
help Insufficient Evidence 7
verified Verified By Reference 3
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Claim 1: “The BKA declined to comment on whether the new Russian law could lead to an increase in car thefts in Germany.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “Russian lawyer Sergei Smirnov agreed with this in an interview. 'The new law could lead to those living outside Russia intensifying their activities in the area of insurance fraud abroad. Cars are stolen in Europe, the victims receive insurance payouts, the vehicles are then illegally transported to Russia and legalized there through registration,' Smirnov told Autonews.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 3: “Benjamin Jendro, spokesperson for the Berlin-based police union GdP, confirmed to DW that there is currently 'no intensive official exchange' with Russia 'on many levels.'”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “The 123 German cars listed by Russia as being subject to an international search in January represent only a fraction of the actual number of vehicles stolen in Germany. According to the BKA, 30,373 vehicles were stolen in Germany in 2024. Only 8,858 cases (just under 30%) were successfully solved.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) confirmed to DW that there is currently no exchange of information with Russia in such cases.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 6: “In addition to the 27 EU member states, Russia counts Switzerland, Norway, the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Australia among such states.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia evidence (tennis champions, superhero films, song) is unrelated to Russia's list of 'ılan states' including Switzerland, Norway, etc.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is an all-time list of winners of the four Grand Slam men's and women's singles tennis tournaments, organized by country. The year of the first win in each tournament is shown in parentheses. Eac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Grand_Slam_singles_cha…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following page lists the highest-grossing superhero films of all time, the highest-grossing superheroes at the box office, and the biggest opening weekends for superhero films. The figures have no…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_super…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Messy" is a song by English singer Lola Young, released on 30 May 2024 as the sixth single from her second studio album This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway (2024). It went viral on the video sharing app…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messy_(Lola_Young_song)
help
Claim 7: “A total of 123 vehicles that Berlin had reported as wanted internationally were located in Russia in January 2026. However, the German authorities did not provide Moscow with any information regarding the reasons for the search warrants.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about 123 vehicles located in Russia with missing German information.
schedule
Claim 8: “He described the new draft law as a 'disastrous sign' that 'encouraged crime.'”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 9: “Russia may soon allow people to legally register vehicles stolen in the EU and brought into the country.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Russia legalizing stolen EU vehicle registration.
schedule
Claim 10: “We have had stable vehicle theft figures for years — at a very high level. Such a law would further undermine the security authorities' fight against international car-trafficking gangs.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 11: “The BKA is aware of inquiries from Russian authorities regarding vehicles listed by Germany. However, since these primarily concern civil law issues (ownership and the owner's interest in repatriation), the BKA has no jurisdiction.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 12: “The plan has sparked fears in Germany that the new law could lead to a sharp rise in the number of stolen cars.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support Germany's fears about increased stolen car numbers.
schedule
Claim 13: “Russian experts point to another aspect of the issue. Alexander Kholodov of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation (OPRF) claimed in an interview with the Russian news portal Autonews that the amended law could facilitate a fraud scheme.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 14: “The German Insurance Association (GDV) told DW that such a fraud scheme is not actually widespread. 'We have no knowledgeဝ of such fraud schemes,' GDV stated.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 15: “Germany is explicitly cited as an example: The Interior Ministry in Moscow claims that Berlin ignores such requests from Moscow 'for political reasons.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Germany ignoring Russian requests for vehicle information.
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Claim 16: “This was already the case in the 1990s and early 2000s. It involved so-called staged theft: The car is sold in Germany, ends up in Russia, and only a month later does the owner report that the vehicle has disappeared. Then he also receives compensation from the insurance company in Germany.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 17: “To our knowledge, there have certainly been cases in the past where Russian authorities have come forward and vehicles that were being sought were recovered there.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 18: “For years, we've seen cars being stolen, taken to Eastern Europe, and immediately dismantled there because companies have massively upgraded their anti-theft measures by installing GPS trackers.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 19: “Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, the authorities in 'hostile states' have not responded to Russian requests to provide information on such vehicles, the ministry stated.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support claims about hostile states ignoring Russian requests for vehicle information.
schedule
Claim 20: “But there are also various vehicles that are essentially stolen according for a shopping list and very quickly end up in countries where we can no longer access them.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 21: “However, anyone can imagine that, at the moment, no official from Germany is likely to travel to Russia to retrieve a stolen vehicle, especially since the insurance claims have often already been settled by the time the vehicle is found.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 22: “The bill would also legalize vehicles that Ukraine has declared missing. Apparently, these are cars that were taken in the occupied Ukrainian territories.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about Ukraine-declared missing vehicles being legalized.
help
Claim 23: “Currently, the registration of vehicles subject to international search warrants is prohibited in Russia.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm prohibition of international search warrant vehicle registration in Russia.
schedule
Claim 24: “Members of the Public Chamber are appointed by the Russian president and are tasked with conducting public hearings on socially relevant draft legislation.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 25: “The Moscow-based daily newspaper Kommersant reported that the Russian Interior Ministry prepared a draft bill at the direction of President Vladimir Putin.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia evidence (1999 bombings, Russo-Georgian War, United Russia) is unrelated to Kommersant reporting on Interior Ministry draft bills under Putin's directive.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In September 1999, a series of explosions hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow, and Volgodonsk, killing more than 300, injuring more than 1,000, and spreading a wave of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Russian_apartment_bombing…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia, was a 5-day war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation in August 2008. It took place within Georgia's internationally re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Georgian_War
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The All-Russian Political Party United Russia is the ruling political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the State Duma as of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Russia
verified
Claim 26: “Lawmakers there have been discussing legislative changes to that effect proposed by the Russian Interior Ministry since early February.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia evidence provided (Revolution of Dignity, Russian theft of Ukrainian grain, Russian war crimes) is unrelated to legislative discussions about EU-stolen vehicle legalization.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Revolution of Dignity (Ukrainian: Революція гідності, romanized: Revoliutsiia hidnosti), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_of_Dignity
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — During the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014 with the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the War in Donbas (2014—2022), and expanded with the full-scale Russian …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_theft_of_Ukrainian_gra…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Russian war crimes are violations of international criminal law including war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide which the official armed and paramilitary forces of Russia have …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_war_crimes
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.