Latvia again hands over cars confiscated from drunk drivers to the Ukrainian army
Vehicles seized for driving while heavily intoxicated are being sent to support Ukraine, Deutsche Welle reports
In Latvia cars confiscated from drivers with excessive blood alcohol levels are being transferred to Ukraine, in particular for defense needs; humanitarian convoys with such vehicles are formed near Riga and depart regularly, reports Deutsche Welle.
The basis for this practice was a rule introduced in 2022: if a driver’s blood alcohol concentration exceeds the permitted limit by more than three times, the state can confiscate not only the license but also the vehicle. The rule also applies to citizens of other countries who get behind the wheel in Latvia.
In 2023 the parliament adopted a law that opened the possibility of transferring such cars to Ukraine free of charge — including for use by the military during the war against Russia.
After confiscation the cars are taken to storage sites near Riga, where they are prepared for shipment: their technical condition is checked and they are equipped with necessary items.
Before departure the vehicles are loaded with humanitarian cargo — clothing, food and other essential items — and included in convoys that travel to Ukraine.
According to volunteers, such trips are carried out weekly, so the aid arrives continuously.
Latvia’s steadfast support for Ukraine is largely explained by historical memory: decades of Soviet rule and the experience of mass deportations in many families have formed a clear understanding of the value of freedom and solidarity.
It is worth reminding that already in 2022 year the head of Mykolaiv OVA Vitalii Kim publicly stated the possibility of a similar practice — confiscation of vehicles from intoxicated drivers with subsequent transfer of them to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However at the legislative level in Ukraine such a rule has not yet been introduced.
Earlier we wrote:
- More than three thousand drunk drivers were caught behind the wheel in a year in the Mykolaiv region
- “Drunk” crash in Korabelnyi and the “blind” protocol: how the patrol officers tried to punish the driver of the “Ruta”
- “Drank — say goodbye to your car”: Latvia gives Ukraine 21 cars taken from intoxicated drivers
- “Wanted to avoid responsibility”: the appellate court confirmed the guilt of an OPZZh deputy from Korabelnyi
- “Drunk roulette”: almost 3,000 intoxicated drivers were “caught” in 2024 in the Mykolaiv region
