Berlin
According to the Russian embassy: German customs confiscates Russian cars
View of the building of the Russian Embassy in Berlin
© Jörg Carstensen / DPA
The Russian embassy in Berlin claims that German customs confiscated several cars imported from Russia. Customs did not want to confirm this, but said that the import of vehicles purchased in Russia is prohibited.
According to the Russian embassy in Berlin, German customs confiscated several vehicles with Russian license plates when they were imported into Germany. In a tweet on Thursday, the embassy claimed to know of some cases in which German customs authorities confiscated cars from Russian citizens. Russians were therefore strongly advised not to import cars into Germany.
German customs only confirmed that the import of vehicles bought in Russia is prohibited. However, the customs authority was unable to provide any information about ongoing investigations and referred to the responsible public prosecutor’s office.
Import of cars from Russia banned since 2014
According to the embassy, German customs referred to an EU regulation from 2014, which restricts the export of certain goods and technologies – including cars – from Russia. At the beginning of the week, the Russian-born AfD MP Eugen Schmidt also reported on the alleged confiscation of cars.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for over 16 months. In the past, the Russian state structures have regularly attracted attention when it comes to spreading fake news and targeted disinformation.