Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Kalashnikov Monument Unveiled in Moscow

by Associated Press

   MOSCOW --

   A towering monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the
   prolific assault rifle that bears his name, has been unveiled in
   Moscow.
   Kalashnikov died in 2013 at age 94 in the city of Izhevsk where he
   lived. He has received accolades as the creator of the AK-47 assault
   rifle, the world's most popular firearm. An estimated 100 million guns
   are spread worldwide.
   Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky said at the monument's
   opening Tuesday that the Kalashnikov rifle has become "Russia's
   cultural brand."
   The monument in downtown Moscow shows Kalashnikov cradling his rifle.
   Kalashnikov, born into a peasant family in Siberia, began brooding
   about a new rifle design after being wounded in a 1941 battle against
   Nazi forces, and finalized it in 1947.