American Andrei Khachaturian was stopped in the transit area at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on December 26, while he was traveling from the United States to Armenia.
Russian police found a Glock-17 pistol and bullets in his possession, Kim said.
Kim confirmed that Khachaturian was subsequently charged with “arms trafficking”, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Kim said that Andrei Khachaturian is not guilty, and that he previously worked in a private security institution and had a US authorization to carry this weapon.
He explained that this American of Armenian origin speaks only English and Armenian and that it is difficult for him to speak with the workers in the detention center, where he is imprisoned alongside others.
Kim noted that Khachaturian suffers from chronic diseases, “and his health requires attention.”
He added that the Prison Monitoring Committee had recommended that he be transferred to a prison hospital.
On Thursday, Russia announced the arrest of another US citizen for drug smuggling, former diplomat Mark Fogel.
The Russian Interior Ministry confirmed that Vogel was arrested by customs officers after he arrived at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow, accompanied by his wife, from New York.
The ministry stated that while crossing a customs point, a quantity of marijuana and hashish was found in his luggage.
There are many Americans detained in Russian prisons and vice versa, while relations are at their lowest levels between Washington and Moscow against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis.
Russia has previously offered to exchange US prisoners for Russian detainees in US prisons, including arms dealer Viktor Bout and contract pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted of drug smuggling into the United States.