American woman arrested at Moscow airport with gun and check for $138,000, Russian authorities claim

The suspect was stopped in a random check as she attempted to leave Vnukovo airport in the green lane designated for passengers who have nothing to declare

An American-Russian woman, who lives in the United States, was arrested at a Moscow airport, accused of attempting to bring a gun into the country, authorities have said.

The woman, who has not been named, was also carrying a check for $138,000 in her luggage. The suspect was stopped in a random check as she attempted to leave Vnukovo airport in the green lane designated for passengers who have nothing to declare, Russia’s Federal Customs Service said in a statement.

“The suitcase was found to contain an American Colt Commander, .45 caliber with three empty magazines,” the statement continued. Officials posted pictures of the gun and the magazines on social media.

The woman, who was traveling from Turkey, said that she did not think she had to declare the gun or the check, Russian authorities said.

She is now facing criminal charges.

The American Colt Commander, .45 caliber that authorities say was seized at a Moscow airport Friday morning (Russia’s Federal Customs Service)

U.S. citizens in Russian custody have long been a point of contention between the two countries.

In May, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a possible prisoner exchange involving nine people from each side, according to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. A source close to the Kremlin said the U.S. side has previously provided Moscow with a list of nine Americans jailed in Russia that Washington wants to have returned.

Tensions between the White House and the Kremlin are high, with Trump turning on Putin with a series of statements regarding the war in Ukraine and his renewed pledge of further military aid to Kyiv.

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump for his “willingness to support Ukraine.” In Kyiv, resident Nina Tokar, 70, said Tuesday that with more U.S. weapons going to Ukraine, “maybe this will all end faster.”

However, following Trump’s threat late last week to impose major sanctions on Russia for failing to reach a deal to end the fighting, the American president said Monday that Moscow would get 50 days to come to a settlement or face “very severe” economic sanctions.

While some believe strict tariffs on Moscow could be a game changer, the decision to postpone them until September struck some European observers as being too long. Ukrainian officials made no direct comment about the 50-day window, but for Russia, the delay of new sanctions came as a reprieve.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.