More than 1,300 reports of abandoned cars over the past three years in Mykolaiv: not all of them turn out to be ownerless

An abandoned car parked on Velyka Morska Street. Photo: Yurii Minin

In Mykolaiv, since 2023, residents have reported cars that have been stationary in one place for a long time to the police on more than 1,300 occasions. The highest number of such reports was recorded in 2023.

This is reported in an article by NikVesti entitled «Ghost cars, or why abandoned vehicles have been left on the streets of Mykolaiv for years».

The number of reports by year is as follows:

• 2023 — 408;
• 2024 — 355;
• 2025 — 372;
• almost eight months of 2026 — 216.

However, the police emphasise that not all vehicles reported are found to be abandoned.

«Given the security situation in Mykolaiv and across the country as a whole, even outward signs that a vehicle has been left stationary for a prolonged period may be grounds for it to be checked. Patrol police units are dispatched to investigate every report from members of the public, but a significant proportion of these reports are not substantiated as to the existence of an offence or an immediate threat. After all, these statistics reflect the number of vehicles in respect of which the police have taken appropriate action, and do not mean that all of them are «abandoned» or ownerless,» the police point out.

In some cases, it turns out that the car is not abandoned — the owner has simply not used it for a long time.

The police state that they understand residents’ heightened concern regarding such vehicles. Timely reports of suspicious vehicles help law enforcement officers to check them and respond to potential threats.

During the check, police officers establish the exact location of the vehicle, its registration number, make, model and owner. They also assess the vehicle’s external condition, checking for damage, signs of parts being removed or other indications that might suggest the vehicle’s possible illegal origin or use.

If necessary, the vehicle is checked against wanted vehicle databases. In addition, police officers ascertain the circumstances under which it was abandoned and whether it poses a danger to people or road traffic.

During the check, patrol officers attempt to identify the owner, verify the registration number, make, model and condition of the vehicle, and ascertain whether it is listed as stolen. Law enforcement officers also check whether the vehicle is damaged, has been dismantled, or poses a danger to people or road traffic.

It was previously reported that a specific procedure for identifying and towing away such vehicles had been drawn up in Mykolaiv, but it has not yet been approved. To implement the scheme, the city requires a dedicated site for storing the vehicles and a recovery vehicle.

According to the city council’s estimates, setting up the site would currently cost over 2 million hryvnias, but the necessary funding is not available.

It should be recalled that last autumn, Odesa adopted new regulations setting out how to locate and remove abandoned vehicles from the city’s streets. The decision was supported by 42 councillors during a council session.