Vehicle theft trends and related car issues in Russia 2023

In 2023, there was a notable decline in vehicle theft and related incidents, with the trend highlighted by Kommersant through statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The ministry reported that six thousand five hundred eighty vehicle thefts occurred from January to November 2023, under Article 158 of the Criminal Code relating to theft, representing a 22.9 percent decrease compared with the same period in the previous year. During the first eleven months of 2023, Moscow, the Leningrad region, Sverdlovsk, the Chelyabinsk region, the Novosibirsk region, and St. Petersburg recorded the highest numbers of car purchases, while thefts were most common in St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, and Primorsky regions. The All-Russian Union of Insurers (VSU) noted that cars previously stolen within Russia had been exported to Ukraine and the Baltic states. However, once the Northern Military District became operational, the borders with these states were closed, curbing that flow. There was an earlier report of customs officers in the Astrakhan region halting the illegal import of Chinese-made electric children’s cars into Russia. A truck from Kyrgyzstan was found to carry 315 undeclared electric vehicles. The shipping documents indicated the truck contained 22 tons of mixed cargo, including auto parts, office furniture, and toys. Among the seized cars was a red children’s SUV designed to resemble a Mercedes Gelandewagen. In a separate update, it was noted that in 2023 the most frequently involved models in road accidents were the Lada Granta, Priora, and Hyundai Solaris, reflecting a broader picture of road safety and vehicle usage in Russia.