What makes it noteworthy is the cache of weapons seized reads more like what would be used for outfitting a military or paramilitary group, not organizing street-level criminal violence.
"The criminal activity of 123 residents of 45 regions of the country, involved in the illegal circulation of weapons of destruction, as well as the restoration of the combat properties of civilian weapons in underground workshops and their sale, was suppressed. 353 units of firearms of domestic and foreign production were seized from circulation," the CSO said.
Among them are an anti-tank rifle, an automatic grenade launcher, three machine guns, 22 assault rifles, 11 submachine guns and 170 pistols and revolvers, 145 rifles, carbines and shotguns, as well as four grenade launchers, 123 artillery shells and mines, 462 grenades, 54 detonators, more 79 kg of explosives (gunpowder, TNT), over 37 thousand cartridges. The activities of 45 clandestine workshops for the modernization of weapons and the manufacture of ammunition have been stopped.
If the charges are to be believed, the 123 people arrested were, among other things, converting civilian weapons to a military configuration (presumably adding full auto and burst fire functionalities, among other modifications). That coupled with anti-tank rifles, land mines, artillery shells, as well as gunpowder and TNT, would go a long way towards arming an insurgent/dissident group.
Is there such a group in Russia, and are they actively planning and preparing for acts of violence against the government? To presume so from just this article would be sheer speculation. That does not mean asking the question is frivolous.
"The activities of 45 clandestine workshops for the modernization of weapons and the manufacture of ammunition have been stopped."
Big Red Flag!
Weapon traffickers don't generally produce ammunition when it is one of the most commonly re-distributed items.