Russian man sentenced to prison for keeping grenade soldiers gave him as a thank-you

A court in Russia’s Belgorod region sentenced a local resident to one year and four months in prison for possessing a hand grenade, Mediazona reported.

According to the Telegram channel Pepel, 40-year-old Vitaly received the grenade and a detonator “as a token of gratitude” after helping Russian soldiers repair a vehicle in April 2022.

He stored them on the second floor of his garage. In March 2025, police found the items during a search, though the reason for the search was not disclosed.

Officers also discovered four rounds of ammunition in a safe. Vitaly told the court he had found them on his property while doing construction work in 2016. He was also charged with unlawful possession of ammunition, but an appeals court later threw out that charge and sent the case back for review.

The court considered the fact that Vitaly has a young child as a mitigating factor when determining his sentence.