Russian court drops case against senior citizen fined for firing his shotgun at Ukrainian drones over his yard
The Volgograd Regional Court dismissed the case against Nikolai Mukhin, a pensioner who was fined for trying to shoot down Ukrainian drones on his own. A source told the Russian state news agency TASS that the court also ordered his confiscated shotgun returned.
In a Russian court, a case against Nikolai Mukhin, a senior citizen, has been dropped. Mukhin was fined for attempting to shoot down Ukrainian drones over his property using a hunting shotgun. The court ruled in his favor under Article 24.5, Part 1, Point 3 of Russia’s Administrative Offenses Code, which applies to actions taken out of urgent necessity.
Mukhin had called the police after being cited for discharging a firearm outside a designated shooting area. Despite the case being dismissed in July 2026, the Yelansky District Court had initially upheld the ruling. Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein had previously defended Mukhin, stating that such actions to protect life, health, and property should be encouraged rather than penalized.
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