Statistics on criminal proceedings under Article 289 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal possession of a vehicle) show a steady decline since 2017 — by about a quarter each year. The anomaly was 2022, when the number of thefts sharply increased by 45% compared to the previous year.
During 2023, on average, 130 criminal proceedings regarding car thefts are registered monthly in Ukraine. At the same time, after a sharp spike at the beginning of 2022 (about 460 cases per month), already in the second half of that year the indicator returned to the level observed before the full-scale war. For comparison: in 2021, 240 proceedings were recorded monthly.
At the same time, the share of cases sent to court is increasing every year. Overall, this indicator almost doubled — from 25.5% in 2017 to 54% in 2021. The exception was the first year of the full-scale invasion: in 2022, the percentage dropped to 19%. However, already in the first three quarters of 2023, 55% of proceedings reached the court, namely 651 out of 1,191 cases. In 787 cases (66%), suspects were notified of suspicion.
