Russia cracks down on 169 illegal gunsmiths across 53 regions VIDEO

Russian authorities have shut down the operations of 169 illegal gunsmiths across 53 regions of the country, seizing 378 firearms, officials said.

The Federal Security Service (FSB), together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Guard, carried out raids targeting individuals involved in the illegal trade of firearms, the restoration of civilian weapons to combat condition, and the sale of modified guns, the FSB reported.

The measures were conducted at the suspects’ homes during October and November.

“Authorities seized 378 firearms, both domestic and foreign-made, and shut down 44 clandestine workshops engaged in weapon modification and ammunition production,” the FSB said.

In a previous crackdown in May and June, officials discovered 62 illegal workshops, detaining 157 individuals across 51 regions and confiscating 268 firearms.

By Aghakazim Guliyev