The Volgograd Regional Court has dropped proceedings against pensioner Nikolai Mukhin, who was earlier fined 40,000 rubles for shooting at Ukrainian drones, his lawyer Alexander Guguchkin said. The court also ordered Mukhin's confiscated rifle returned.
According to TASS, the case was dismissed under Article 24.5 of the Administrative Code, which covers actions taken in a state of extreme necessity. The defense argued that Mukhin fired at unidentified drones he believed to be potential sabotage devices, acting out of justified concern for public safety.
The incident occurred in the summer: Mukhin went into his yard at night and fired a single-barreled hunting rifle at a passing drone. Whether he hit it is unknown. Afterward, the pensioner called emergency services himself, reported the shooting, and handed the weapon to police.
A magistrate in the settlement of Elan had fined Mukhin under a protocol for shooting in an unauthorized location and ordered the rifle confiscated. An appeals court upheld that decision, prompting the defense to file a cassation complaint.
Kursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein spoke in support of the pensioner, noting that under the federal law "On Weapons," citizens may use firearms to protect life and property in a state of extreme necessity, and such actions should be welcomed rather than punished.