Police in the Russian city of Novosibirsk have detained a 32-year-old factory worker suspected of operating an illegal firearms workshop inside his workplace.
According to a report published by the Telegram channel MVD Media, the suspect obtained employment at an industrial enterprise in the city and set up a clandestine workshop to pursue his illegal hobby of modifying firearms.
Investigators stated that the man converted non-lethal signal pistols into functional combat weapons and sold them directly from the factory premises. Operatives from local law enforcement agencies caught the worker red-handed alongside a buyer who was attempting to purchase one of the illicit firearms.
Following the arrests, police conducted searches of the suspects and confiscated three modified signal pistols alongside specialized equipment designed for rifling gun barrels. Official forensic testing subsequently confirmed that the converted pistols generated enough muzzle energy to inflict severe harm to health.
Underground weapons manufacturing in Siberia
Novosibirsk is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast and the third most populous city in Russia, situated in southwestern Siberia along the banks of the Ob River. The metropolitan area is a major Siberian industrial center, hosting heavy machinery plants, metalworking facilities, and manufacturing enterprises.
Signal pistols, also known as starter or flare guns, are designed to fire blank cartridges or distress flares for signalling purposes. Because their external designs closely match real handguns, illegal gunsmiths often use specialized tooling to rifle or replace the barrels, transforming them into lethal firearms capable of firing live ammunition.
MVD Media operates as the official digital news platform for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, releasing verified crime updates and police press announcements from regional law enforcement departments across the nation.
National firearm control efforts
The police intervention in Novosibirsk comes amid broader nationwide law enforcement operations targeting the illegal weapons trade. In a separate update from Moscow, authorities reported that officers from Rosgvardiya recovered 650 pieces of illegal firearms from illicit traffic in the capital over the span of one month.
Rosgvardiya, officially known as the National Guard of the Russian Federation, is an independent federal executive body responsible for domestic security, anti-terrorism operations, and strict regulation of civilian firearm licensing throughout the country.
