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    Photos: Russia commemorates Mikhail Kalashnikov, creator of the AK-47

    Russia on Tuesday unveiled a statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle that became by some estimates the most lethal weapon ever made and the best known Russian brand abroad, an icon in tself for the resistance militant groups across the globe mainly against the western ideologies.

    Updated on: Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM IST
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    1/10
    Perched atop a pedestal in a tiny square on Moscow’s busy Garden Ring, Russia on Tuesday unveiled a statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle that became by some estimates the most lethal weapon ever made and the best known Russian brand abroad. ‘I created a weapon for the defence of my fatherland,’ runs a Kalashnikov quote hewn on the pedestal. At the unveiling ceremony, a Kremlin guard of honour stood to attention as Russia’s national anthem played. (Maxim Zmeyev / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    Perched atop a pedestal in a tiny square on Moscow’s busy Garden Ring, Russia on Tuesday unveiled a statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle that became by some estimates the most lethal weapon ever made and the best known Russian brand abroad. ‘I created a weapon for the defence of my fatherland,’ runs a Kalashnikov quote hewn on the pedestal. At the unveiling ceremony, a Kremlin guard of honour stood to attention as Russia’s national anthem played. (Maxim Zmeyev / AFP)

    2/10
    Kalashnikov was born into a Siberian peasant family in 1919.Wounded in the 1941 battle of Bryansk, while spending several months recovering in a hospital, he heard other soldiers complaining about how the Red Army’s rifles were inferior to those wielded by the Nazis, and began work on designs of his own. The gun’s name commemorates the designer and the year — Avtomat Kalashnikova (19)47. (Misha Japaridze / AP PHOTO) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    Kalashnikov was born into a Siberian peasant family in 1919.Wounded in the 1941 battle of Bryansk, while spending several months recovering in a hospital, he heard other soldiers complaining about how the Red Army’s rifles were inferior to those wielded by the Nazis, and began work on designs of his own. The gun’s name commemorates the designer and the year — Avtomat Kalashnikova (19)47. (Misha Japaridze / AP PHOTO)

    3/10
    Kalashnikovs are in service in 50 foreign armies. Military experts say the AK-47 has killed more people than all other types of modern weapons taken together. The gun was quickly adopted by Soviet Bloc armies and the Soviet Union distributed them to armies of ideological allies and revolutionary groups throughout Africa and Asia. Moscow also freely licensed other countries to produce local variants. (Alaa al-Faqir / REUTERS) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    Kalashnikovs are in service in 50 foreign armies. Military experts say the AK-47 has killed more people than all other types of modern weapons taken together. The gun was quickly adopted by Soviet Bloc armies and the Soviet Union distributed them to armies of ideological allies and revolutionary groups throughout Africa and Asia. Moscow also freely licensed other countries to produce local variants. (Alaa al-Faqir / REUTERS)

    4/10
    The AK-47 soon became widely popular for its adaptability to rugged conditions, including jungles, deserts and the cold. The gun made it into the Guinness Book of World Records because of its impressive volume of product—100 million worldwide. Every fifth firearm in the world is a Kalashnikov and more than 70 million of the assault rifles have been produced over the past 60 years. (Siegfried Modola / REUTERS) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    The AK-47 soon became widely popular for its adaptability to rugged conditions, including jungles, deserts and the cold. The gun made it into the Guinness Book of World Records because of its impressive volume of product—100 million worldwide. Every fifth firearm in the world is a Kalashnikov and more than 70 million of the assault rifles have been produced over the past 60 years. (Siegfried Modola / REUTERS)

    5/10
    As well as being embraced by armies, anti-Western revolutionary movements and leftist leaders worldwide, the relatively cheap and sturdy rifle has been used by gangsters, drug traffickers, militants and rebels of all stripes. (Dar Yasin / AP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    As well as being embraced by armies, anti-Western revolutionary movements and leftist leaders worldwide, the relatively cheap and sturdy rifle has been used by gangsters, drug traffickers, militants and rebels of all stripes. (Dar Yasin / AP)

    6/10
    In the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin,‘The Kalashnikov rifle is a symbol of the creative genius of our people.’ Or as Russia’s Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky put it: the Kalashnikov rifle has become ‘Russia’s cultural brand.’ (Khaled Abdullah / REUTERS) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    In the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin,‘The Kalashnikov rifle is a symbol of the creative genius of our people.’ Or as Russia’s Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky put it: the Kalashnikov rifle has become ‘Russia’s cultural brand.’ (Khaled Abdullah / REUTERS)

    7/10
    It is simple to operate and easy to maintain -- with little training, users reportedly can field-strip one in half a minute. The strength of the AK-47 is in its simple design which rarely breaks and any complications can be repaired using a basic tool such as a hammer. It’s also cheap to make, and individual weapons can last as long as 40 years. (Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr / AP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    It is simple to operate and easy to maintain -- with little training, users reportedly can field-strip one in half a minute. The strength of the AK-47 is in its simple design which rarely breaks and any complications can be repaired using a basic tool such as a hammer. It’s also cheap to make, and individual weapons can last as long as 40 years. (Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr / AP)

    8/10
    A Russian cultural icon, the AK-47’s distinctive profile with a banana clip made it one of the world’s most recognizable firearms. It appears on the flag of Mozambique, the Hezbollah and its barrel is shown on Zimbabwe’s coat of arms. (Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    A Russian cultural icon, the AK-47’s distinctive profile with a banana clip made it one of the world’s most recognizable firearms. It appears on the flag of Mozambique, the Hezbollah and its barrel is shown on Zimbabwe’s coat of arms. (Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP)

    9/10
    The unveiling of the monument was timed to coincide with Armsmakers’ Day marked in Russia on Tuesday. Underscoring the importance of the military-industrial complex for Russia’s economy, President Vladimir Putin sent best wishes to the workers of the sector. (Maxim Zmeyev / AFP) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    The unveiling of the monument was timed to coincide with Armsmakers’ Day marked in Russia on Tuesday. Underscoring the importance of the military-industrial complex for Russia’s economy, President Vladimir Putin sent best wishes to the workers of the sector. (Maxim Zmeyev / AFP)

    10/10
    Untroubled by inventing a gun that shed so much blood, Kalashnikov before his death in 2013, penned a letter to Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill. ‘My mental anguish is unbearable. I have the same insoluble question: if my submachine gun took people’s lives, does it mean that I, Mikhail Kalashnikov, 93 years old, the son of a peasant, and Orthodox Christian by my faith, am responsible for the deaths of people, even if they were enemies?’ (Sergei Karpukhin / REUTERS) expand-iconView Photos in a new improved layout
    Updated on Sep 20, 2017 5:09 PM

    Untroubled by inventing a gun that shed so much blood, Kalashnikov before his death in 2013, penned a letter to Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill. ‘My mental anguish is unbearable. I have the same insoluble question: if my submachine gun took people’s lives, does it mean that I, Mikhail Kalashnikov, 93 years old, the son of a peasant, and Orthodox Christian by my faith, am responsible for the deaths of people, even if they were enemies?’ (Sergei Karpukhin / REUTERS)

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