American Sentenced to 4 Years in Russian Prison Over Rifle Part Smuggling

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 1:17 AM

A Russian court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to an American citizen who attempted to smuggle a rifle component out of the country. The individual was caught trying to leave Russia with a stock from a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

MOSCOW, Feb 17 – An American citizen has been handed a four-year prison term by a Russian court after being convicted of attempting to smuggle a component from a Kalashnikov assault rifle out of the country, according to a report from Russia’s RIA state news agency released Tuesday.

The individual was caught trying to remove the rifle stock – a key component of the weapon – from Russian territory, leading to the criminal charges and subsequent conviction.

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