Here’s an odd story – apparently the latest Motorola Moto G released under the auspices of the IT giant Google is… illegal in Russia. One online shopper, Evgeniy Yarutkin, tried importing the device into Russia after buying it at one of European e-retailers. However, when he tried to claim his parcel at the post office, he was told that he needed customs clearance. To his surprise, he seemingly became the defendant in a criminal case when he tried to return the phone. Let’s have a closer look.
The reason why the Customs service bounced the phone is that all digital devices which are capable of encoding information – such as smartphones – have to be cleared by the Federal Security Service. The Moto G officially is not sold in Russia – hence it has not passed Russian certification and thus the Federal Security Service is unable to green-light the phone. Having found this out after visiting the post office, the shopper decided that the only course of action would be to return the device. So he went back to the post office, requested that the phone is returned to sender and let it be… until he was pulled back into the story. In a couple of weeks the e-shopper received a troubling phone call from the Customs service, saying he was being summoned for a criminal case.
After getting to the bottom of things, Evgeniy found out that there was indeed a case against him; thankfully, it only involved an administrative violation and no criminal charges. July 11 he was charged with importing a restricted item into the Customs’ Union territory. He will have to come to the Customs service July 30 in order to state his case and the decision whether he should be charged will be made in August. If he’s found guilty, he will have to pay 1500 to 2500 rubles – less than $100. And no, he still won’t get the phone.
A similar thing happened a couple of years ago. A senior citizen who wanted to capture his grandkids in a "natural environment" was apprehended by law enforcements and was tried for buying "spy glasses": he ordered a pair of glasses with a hidden camera – and according to Russian legislation, this is a "special technical device which allows to surreptitiously procure information". It is illegal to purchase such gadgets in Russia – and while the senior citizen’s intentions were noble, and he bought the glasses by clicking an online advertisement not knowing they were illegal, ignorance of the law excuses no one, the officials reminded.
