Mysterious lockout in Russian luxury cars: EW Are Porsches and BMWs ‘automatically locking’ amid jamming or sanctions?

Owners of hundreds of high-end German vehicles in Russia—primarily 2013–2019 model Porsches and ConnectedDrive-equipped BMWs (including the Series 1-7, The problem, which was first spotted in Porsche in December 2025 and spread to BMW in January 2026, has sparked widespread speculation in Moscow, Krasnodar and elsewhere.

The main problem is related to the anti-theft telematics system of the vehicles. For Porsche, the **Vehicle Tracking System (VTS)**—a satellite-linked security module—triggers the immobilizer if it loses GPS (1575 MHz) or cellular connectivity (800–2600 MHz), which interprets the interruption as an attempted theft. BMW’s **ConnectedDrive** and telematics control unit (TCU) go into “security mode” without stable access to the European servers, turning the ignition off.

**Two main principles**
1. **Electronic Warfare (EW) Interference** — Russian systems such as Krasukha-4 or Borisoglebsk-2, which have been deployed to jam GPS and cellular signals against Ukrainian drones and missiles, may inadvertently disrupt these frequencies. Auto expert Yevgeny Ladushkin cited this as a possible cause, with large-scale jamming in urban areas triggering false theft alerts. Irish journalist Che Bowes took this claim further on

2. **Restrictions and service cuts** — According to The Moscow Times and dealerships like Rolf, a more rational explanation points to restrictions after 2022. Porsche and BMW suspended their operations in Russia, potentially blocking access to servers for telematics updates and connectivity checks. Anti-theft features activate automatically, without a “heartbeat” ping to the European server. **Technical Feasibility and Limitations**
Jamming at the required intensity in central Moscow could interfere with smartphones, navigation, and even air traffic control—making deliberate targeting difficult. Dealerships report some success with a manual reset or VTS module reboot, but a full fix often requires encrypted German software updates that are not available due to restrictions.

The incidents highlight vulnerabilities in connected cars amid geopolitical tensions that could hit wealthy Russians who depend on these imports. While sensational EW theories are doing the rounds, experts believe service failures caused by restrictions to be the main cause.