Russian court clears pensioner fined for shooting at Ukrainian drones with shotgun
A regional court in Volgograd has dismissed the case against a pensioner who was fined for trying to shoot down Ukrainian drones over his yard with a hunting shotgun. The court also ordered his confiscated weapon returned.
The Volgograd Regional Court has dropped an administrative case against pensioner Nikolai Mukhin, who had been fined for attempting to shoot down Ukrainian drones over his property. A source told Russian state news agency TASS that the court also ordered the return of his confiscated hunting shotgun.
According to the source, the case was dismissed under Article 24.5, Part 1, Point 3 of Russia's Administrative Offenses Code, which applies to actions taken out of urgent necessity.
What happened
Court documents show Mukhin used a single-barreled hunting shotgun to try to bring down drones flying over his yard. He then called the police himself, but instead of assistance, officers cited him for discharging a firearm outside a designated shooting area.
In July 2026, a justice of the peace in Yelan, a settlement in the Volgograd region, fined Mukhin 40,000 rubles and ordered his weapon confiscated. He appealed the decision, but the Yelansky District Court upheld the original ruling.
Official support
Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein had earlier spoken up in Mukhin's defense, pointing out that Article 24 of Russia's federal weapons law permits citizens to use weapons to protect life, health and property when acting under urgent necessity. He argued such actions should be encouraged rather than punished.
