German customs confiscating Russian cars imports: Russian embassy

The Russian embassy in Berlin said that German customs have confiscated several vehicles with Russian registration plates when they were being imported to Germany, reported dpa.

The embassy wrote in a tweet on Thursday that several cases had come to their attention in which German authorities reportedly confiscated cars belonging to Russian citizens.

They said Russians were therefore strongly advised against importing cars to Germany.

German customs confirmed that the import of cars bought in Russia was prohibited. However, the customs authority could not provide any specific information about ongoing investigations. They suggested contacting the prosecutor's offices with further questions.

According to the Russian embassy, German customs followed a European Union regulation from 2014, which restricts the export of certain goods and technologies - including passenger cars - from Russia.

Earlier this week, Eugen Schmidt, a lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party who is of Russian origin, had reported on the alleged seizure of cars.

Russia has been waging a full-scale war in neighbouring Ukraine for over 16 months. Since the invasion, many nations have imposed sanctions on Russia.

Russian state structures have also often been known to spread targeted disinformation campaigns.