"I love Russia, and I will do everything in my power to defend it."
Nikolai Mukhin is an ordinary Russian farmer. At the age of 66, he was fined for attempting to shoot down a Ukrainian drone with a shotgun.
Recently, Today Russian television station interviewed Nikolai Mukhin and asked about the situation at that time.
Nikola Muchin said that on the evening of July 7th, he was awakened by the sound of drones. He called the police and went out with a shotgun to check things out. Later, he noticed that drones were hovering above his house.
Nikola Moutzin Source: RT
According to the old man, initially he only wanted to report the discovery of the drones. It was only after noticing the appearance of a second drone that he tried to shoot it down.
According to Russian local law, Nikolai Mukhin was fined 40,000 rubles (about 3,200 RMB) for shooting in an unauthorized place, and his shotgun was confiscated. Subsequently, the elderly man appealed to the district court, but the judge ruled that the act could endanger others' lives, thus upholding the original judgment.
During the interview, Mu Xin told Today's Russia TV that he failed to shoot down the drone due to its high altitude. "This punishment is too severe," he explained, "I love Russia, and I will do everything in my power to defend it."
According to Today's Russia television station, in court, the farmer's defense lawyer argued that the defendant's actions were driven by a reasonable concern for 'public safety and citizens' lives'. The lawyer concluded that the potential damage caused by the drone crash would be less than the damage it would cause if it reached its target.
Due to strong public protest, the Volgograd Regional Prosecutor’s Office challenged the fine imposed on Mukhin, arguing that he acted under special circumstances and therefore should be exempt from punishment.
According to TASS, the Volgograd Regional Court overturned the original judgment on Thursday evening local time, revoked the fine, and ordered that the seized hunting gun be returned to Nikolai Mushiin. The report states that the judge ultimately agreed with the prosecution's opinion, believing that the farmer's actions were an exception to the norm.
According to Today's Russia television, in recent months, Ukraine has increased its efforts in conducting remote attacks on Russian civil infrastructure. Moscow has categorized these attacks as terrorist acts.
