In Russia an arms manufacturer does not have a bad reputation by any means. Quite the opposite. With numerous events, the largest country in the world today celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, who manufactured the AK-47 rifle shortly after the end of World War II, of which more than 100 million units were sold worldwide. the world.
There is even a song about the famous weapon, in which he says, among other things:"Kalashnikov, Kalashnikov, what an amazing weapon! Famous all over the world for half a century. An excellent weapon that reliably serves the country".
As Mikhail Kalashnikov himself said, he had the idea of making a good and effective firearm when he was fighting the Germans in 1941:"The Russian soldiers complained that the weapons they were given were not good and called the manufacturers useless. Then I thought to try my luck and make my own, reliable weapon".
"It's not my gun's fault, politicians don't find peaceful solutions"
For many years Mikhail Kalashnikov worked away from the public eye. Only in the last decades of their lives did they become more widely known in the Soviet Union, but also abroad.
In his public appearances he often responded to accusations that he made a weapon from which millions have lost their lives:"They ask me how I can and I sleep at night. And I always answer that it is not my weapon's fault, but the politicians who are unable to find peaceful solutions. I don't want there to be any weapons in the world".
However, there are not a few who did not believe Kalashnikov, since the famous AK-47 brought him recognition and honors in addition to money. Among others, he was awarded the top awards "Hero of Socialist Labor" and "Hero of the Russian Federation" awarded for outstanding achievements. Since 2017, four years after his death, there is a statue in the center of Moscow showing Kalashnikov with his gun in hand.
SOURCE:DW