Serious failures: Porsches parked in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. (symbol image)Image: www.imago-images.de
Hundreds of Porsche drivers in Russia have been faced with a conundrum since the end of November: their sports cars suddenly no longer want to start. What or who is behind it is not clear.
Dec 9, 2025, 7:56 amDec 9, 2025, 7:56 am
Rows of Porsches have been idle in Russia since the end of November. The German sports cars can no longer be started, which is said to be related to a satellite security system. The problem occurs in several cities such as Moscow, Krasnodar or St. Petersburg, as Russian media like the Moscow Times report.
The Russian car dealer group Rolf confirmed a sharp increase in defect reports and repair requests. According to a spokeswoman, the problematic satellite system is an anti-theft device that Porsche installs directly during car production. All models should be affected.
The system in question tracks the location of the cars and intervenes if they are moved without the ignition switched on or by disconnecting the battery. Then, in addition to triggering an alarm, the fuel supply is also cut off – which means the engine no longer runs and the sports car is no longer roadworthy. Some Porsche drivers reportedly said they were able to briefly work around the problem by disconnecting the car battery for hours.
It is unclear why exactly the failures occur. According to Porsche, the problem has nothing to do with technology. A spokeswoman told the German car magazine Car motor sportthat the problems were “not the responsibility of Porsche AG” because “they are country-specific.” Other markets are not affected by the problem.
Porsche stopped doing business in Russia after the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022. Subsidiaries that the company still holds are to be sold. The car dealer Rolf, meanwhile, believes sabotage is possible: “There is a possibility that this was done intentionally.” But who could be behind it is unclear.
Another theory makes a connection to Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia. GPS jamming occurs frequently in Russia because corresponding systems are used to fend off Ukrainian drones. The satellite-based Porsche system could also be irritated by the defense efforts and thus trigger the alarm. (con)