---
title: "$2.8M Limo Once Commissioned by Stalin Stolen, Abandoned by Thieves"
description: "That takes a lot of, erm, courage."
date: "2019-12-31"
modified: "2019-12-31"
authors:
  - name: "Chris Teague"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-teague"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/31676/crafty-thieves-steal-abandon-2-8m-limo-once-commissioned-by-joseph-stalin"
categories:
  - "News"
---

# $2.8M Limo Once Commissioned by Stalin Stolen, Abandoned by Thieves

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/12/gettyimages-949866728-594x594.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A group of brazen thieves recently managed to steal a $2.8-million ZIS-115 [limousine](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/29364/just-4000-will-buy-you-this-2001-volvo-s80-limousine-built-for-a-swedish-diplomat>) that once carried Joseph Stalin. Their heist was caught on camera, and the crafty-but-senseless crooks towed the car from a garage in Moscow before hastily ditching it elsewhere.

[The limo](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/24302/the-stretch-limos-fatal-flaw>) itself is a heavyweight and has true street cred as the first mass-produced passenger car with armor protection in the USSR. The brute’s shell is strong enough to protect against 7.62-mm bullets from as close as 25 meters, which includes guns like the [SKS](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKS>). According to [local sources](<https://alugy.com/news/stalins-limousine-estimated-at-2-5-million-euros-stolen-in-moscow/>), it took six men and a tow truck to get away with the massive car, which is owned by the head of security for a [Ukrainian](<https://www.twz.com/31136/russia-even-ripped-out-the-toilets-before-returning-ukraines-ships-it-seized>) oligarch. They took off in an unknown direction with the limo on a truck, but the car was found abandoned across town just a short time later.

The real question now is who they are and what they planned on doing with the pricey piece of automobilia. It’s not like you can waltz into a Russian Carmax and offload a 9,000-pound armored limo, but leaving it abandoned so quickly seems to suggest they either figured out there was no way to unload it safely or they realized that stealing a car from a Ukrainian oligarch comes with its own unique set of challenges.

Regardless of what happens to the car, we’re assuming the thieves have more than law enforcement to be afraid of. [Ukrainian](<https://www.twz.com/30741/ukrainian-officer-details-russian-electronic-warfare-tactics-including-radio-virus>) bigwigs probably don’t take kindly to having historical artifacts stolen, and their flavor of justice may be scarier than the notoriously [hardcore Russian police](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26771/watch-this-russian-police-officer-and-possible-superhero-dodge-a-sliding-truck>). The good news for the thieves, at least for now, is that no arrests or suspects have been announced in connection with the robbery.

*Got a tip? Send us a note:* *tips@thedrive.com*

## Author
After working in the technology and software industry for several years, Chris Teague began writing as a way to help people outside of that world understand the sometimes very technical work that goes on behind the scenes. With a lifelong love of all things automotive, he turned his attention to writing new vehicle reviews, detailing industry trends, and breaking news. Along the way, he earned an MBA with a focus on data analysis that has helped him gain a strong understanding of why the auto industry’s biggest companies make the decisions they do.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/TeagueDrives>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/TeagueDrives>)