Armenian-American Citizen Arrested in Moscow on Arms Smuggling Charges

An Armenian-American citizen, Andre Khachatryan, has been arrested in Moscow on charges of arms smuggling. He is currently held at Investigative Isolation Facility No. 7. This information was reported to RIA Novosti by Konstantin Kim, a member of the Public Monitoring Commission in Moscow.

Khachatryan stated that he was traveling from the United States to Armenia on December 26, 2021, when he was detained in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport. A GLOCK-17 pistol and ammunition were discovered in his possession.

“He has been charged under Article 226.1, Part 1 of the Criminal Code for arms smuggling. He denies the charges, claiming he was previously an employee of a security company and allegedly held a U.S. permit for the firearm,” the source added.

Kim also noted that Khachatryan is struggling to communicate with the staff and other inmates, as he speaks only two languages — Armenian and English.