Do’s and Don’ts on AliExpress
The dark depths of AliExpress pushed us to write this material. There you can order, for relatively little money and with delivery almost to the doorstep, almost everything – including things that look like this, which raises the question “Is this generally legal”? Weapons of varying degrees of harmlessness, ways to hide, hide, track, find, suppress and stun – we figure out what you can buy / store from this, what permissions you need and what you will get for it.
Slingshot
On AliExpress, you can buy hunting and toy slingshots that shoot darts or metal or plastic balls (shells can be purchased right there). Some models look pretty powerful – they come with forearm rests, pistol grips, and counterweights. But regardless of the design, no permits are needed for them: unlike bows and crossbows, which can sometimes be considered a throwing weapon, slingshots in the Russian Federation can be sold and bought freely.
Brass knuckles
it is forbidden
According to the Federal Law “On Weapons”, cold steel is “a weapon designed to hit a target with the help of a person’s muscular strength in direct contact with an object of destruction,” and it also includes items of “shock-crushing action.” Therefore, brass knuckles are quite a melee weapon, although it may not have a cutting edge. For the sale, storage, donation of knuckle dusters, you can get serious problems with the law – up to imprisonment for up to two years. Therefore, all 70 reviews for this spiked brass knuckle on AliExpress are written by buyers from Europe and the United States.
Knives
It is better to be more careful with knives – the wording in Russian legislation allows for different readings, and there are cases when sharp toys bought from Chinese online retailers ended up in criminal cases on the sale of cold weapons. Such a small “knife for training butterflies” (auto-translation is still the best reason to go to AliExpress) does not reach 9 centimeters in any way – and this is the border after which a butterfly (blade weapon, blades and blades of which are advanced due to gravity or accelerated movement and are automatically fixed) is considered a melee weapon.
Radio jammers
it is possible, with care and observance of formalities
Radio wave suppressors are rather “dark” devices. They are not in great demand among citizens, the main buyers are companies that monitor confidentiality, research institutions and hospitals (where extraneous radio signals can interfere with the operation of equipment), the state (jammers are installed in halls for important negotiations and where people are prohibited from using telephones and internet – for example, in prisons). In Russian legislation, there are no restrictions on the sale and storage of such devices – buy at least ten pieces, but it is better to use it with caution. Firstly, the device cannot be used without permission from the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, and to obtain it you need to collect an impressive stack of documents, including technical documentation for the device indicating the frequency range. The seller from AliExpress may not provide such papers – he may simply not have them; often radio components with Ali are assembled on the knee by a talented Chinese according to the instructions from GitHub (we are almost sure that in the screenshot it is exactly like that). Secondly, you are legally responsible for the consequences of the operation of your device: if a drone falls on someone’s head because of you, or the device breaks down in a hospital, the person who suppressed the signal will be to blame.
A powerful laser pointer – it doesn’t matter whether it is an LED or a solid-state laser – is a rather dangerous thing: you shouldn’t even shine in the eyes with those sold in stalls, not to mention this 5 mW cannon (8 mW is written in capital letters, but this is unlikely). No problems at customs, no permits – but remember that Russia has a law (Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) criminalizing hooliganism in transport, including hooliganism with lasers. Do not shine on planes, trains, or other vehicles.
Bulletproof vests
There are many troubling questions on the Internet from CIS citizens – is it possible to buy and wear body armor, is their turnover limited? Many are misled by the word “special means”, which is often found in the documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Everything is in order: you can protect yourself with either Kevlar or (as in the screenshot) high molecular weight polyethylene.
Telescopic batons
A telescopic baton is a melee weapon according to Russian law. True, those that are sold on the territory of Russia sometimes have certificates of “conformity, indicating the household purpose of these items as structurally similar to weapons.” These are usually batons made of lightweight and not very strong materials. It is unlikely that a Chinese manufacturer will have such a certificate, so the purchase will most likely not be allowed to cross the border. If the package does arrive, it will be more nerve-racking than helpful: when using it for self-defense, having a baton in your possession will become an aggravating circumstance, and if it is simply taken away from you, you will be fined.
