US citizen sentenced to 4 years in Russian jail after trying to smuggle Kalashnikov assault rifle stocks out of Moscow
A Russian court has sentenced a U.S. citizen to four years in prison for attempting to take Kalashnikov rifle stocks out of a Moscow airport, the RIA state news agency reported Tuesday.
The U.S. citizen, a collector of Kalashnikov weapons, purchased two rifle stocks and checked a suitcase containing them at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow without declaring them to customs, according to reports.
The man, whose identity was not released by the news agency, was convicted under Russia’s criminal code on charges related to weapons smuggling. RIA reported that he partially admitted his guilt. Reuters was unable to contact him while he remains in detention.
The U.S. State Department continues to advise against all travel to Russia, urging citizens to leave immediately “due to terrorism, unrest, wrongful detention and other risks.” Its advisory notes that “Russian officials often question and threaten U.S. citizens without reason” and that “Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on false charges, denied them fair treatment, and convicted them without credible evidence.”
Russian authorities reject these allegations, maintaining that the country is simply enforcing its laws.
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