Russia announces amnesty for illegal firearms surrendered
In Russia, the Moscow Times reported on Monday that individuals in possession of illegal firearms will be granted amnesty if they hand them over for military use. This follows a statement from the Federal Service of the National Guard of Russia. The amnesty applies to those whose weapons have not been involved in criminal activities.
Currently, in Russia, possessing firearms without a valid licence can result in a fine of up to 5,000 roubles.
In August, President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing the National Guard to allocate weapons confiscated or voluntarily surrendered by civilians to the troops engaged in Ukraine.
The new legislation is expected to lead to considerable savings, as the previous law required the destruction of confiscated weapons. At the start of 2024, there were over 70,000 weapons earmarked for destruction in the repositories of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Guard.
Increase in illegal arms trade
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has reported a significant rise in crimes related to the illegal trade of weapons imported into Russia from conflict areas. In the first two months of this year, the number of such crimes increased by 16 per cent compared to the previous year. These weapons primarily ended up in the Caucasus region. According to the newspaper "Izvestia," ordinary citizens were mostly the buyers.
People are purchasing weapons for future use, "just in case." They attribute this to challenging times and worries, as reported by the newspaper.
On Monday, the FSB announced via its website that over the course of two months, 124 individuals involved in the illegal arms trade had been detained. Confiscated items included 333 firearms, such as rifles and automatic weapons, over 290 kilograms of explosives, electric detonators, and more than 63,000 rounds of ammunition. Furthermore, 59 workshops involved in the production of ammunition and weapon modification were dismantled.
