The stolen vehicle search system now operates in sixty regional divisions across the country, a development noted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in its publication Shield and Sword. The system consolidates data into a single, centralized database that tracks the movements of essentially every vehicle on national roads. That means officials can access a comprehensive view of how vehicles circulate nationwide, providing a powerful tool for locating stolen cars and monitoring motor transport activity.
Current efforts focus on upgrading the technical backbone. Photo and video surveillance complexes are being migrated to new servers, with additional equipment installed to support more robust data processing. When the upgrade work is finished, the streams of information captured by cameras are routed into the database for storage and subsequent analysis. This modernization aims to speed up the flow of verified information from the field to the central records system.
Officials anticipate that the upgrades could be completed by the end of the year, after which the process of recovering stolen vehicles is expected to become noticeably faster. A single region presents a notable exception: Chukotka. The absence of road cameras in that area means the system cannot yet extend the same level of real-time visibility there, though efforts continue to resolve this gap and integrate more footage sources as available infrastructure allows.
The architecture behind this web of data gives Interior Ministry personnel direct access to the movements of vehicles on public roadways. Beyond pursuit and recovery, the system also serves as a repository for photo material tied to traffic violations that did not result in fines for various reasons. This centralized approach helps authorities review cases, verify incidents, and maintain a coherent record across jurisdictions. In practice, this means faster cross-checking, better coordination between regional units, and a clearer picture of traffic patterns that can inform enforcement and policy decisions. (Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs)