Russia has officially removed a longstanding ban on mounting night vision scopes on civilian firearms, following the signing of a new federal law by President Vladimir Putin.
The legislation eliminates previous restrictions that prohibited hunters and civilian gun owners from attaching night vision optics to legally owned firearms. Authorities said the change is intended to support more effective wildlife management and hunting operations, particularly in efforts to control populations of dangerous animals such as wolves and wild boars.
Under the updated law, the use of night vision equipment remains subject to existing hunting regulations and licensing requirements. Thermal imaging devices and other specialized optics continue to be regulated separately under Russian law.
Russian lawmakers argued that the previous restrictions had become outdated, noting that modern night vision technology is widely available and that legal hunters should be allowed to use it under controlled conditions.
The measure is expected to take effect after its official publication, marking a significant change to Russia’s civilian firearms regulations.
