A Russian court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to an American citizen who attempted to smuggle Kalashnikov rifle stocks out of a Moscow airport, according to the RIA state news agency’s report on Tuesday.
The American, an enthusiast of Kalashnikov firearms, purchased two rifle stocks and packed them in a suitcase at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport without declaring them at customs, the reports indicated.
The unidentified individual was convicted under a criminal code clause addressing the illegal transport of weapons.
RIA mentioned the man admitted partial culpability, though Reuters was unable to contact him while he was detained.
The U.S. State Department currently advises against any travel to Russia, urging its citizens to leave promptly due to threats such as terrorism, civil disorder, unjust detentions, and other hazards.
In its travel warnings, the State Department notes, “Russian officials frequently question and intimidate U.S. citizens without justification. Russian security services have arrested Americans on fabricated charges, subjected them to unfair trials, and convicted them based on insufficient evidence.”
Russian officials deny the U.S. allegations and say that the state merely enforces Russian law.
