“Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) confirmed to DW that there is currently no exchange of information with Russia in such cases.”

“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.”

“The BKA declined to comment on whether the new Russian law could lead to an increase in car thefts in Germany.”

“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.”

“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.'”

“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.”

“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.”

“He described the new draft law as a 'disastrous sign' that 'encouraged crime.'”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Members of the Public Chamber are appointed by the Russian president and are tasked with conducting public hearings on socially relevant draft legislation.”

“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.”

“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.”