Moscow unveils statue to AK47 inventor

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA

An eight-meter statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, was unveiled on Tuesday in Moscow, Russia's official TASS news agency reported.

"Mikhail Kalashnikov is the embodiment of the best features of the Russian people. His extraordinary natural talent, simplicity, honesty and organizational talent allowed him to create a whole line of weapons to protect the fatherland," Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said, according to TASS.

During his address at the unveiling ceremony, Medinsky described the Kalashnikov rifle as a "true cultural" brand of Russia.

The statue can be seen at the intersection of Sadovaya-Karetnaya and Dolgorukovskaya streets in central Moscow.

Kalashnikov, who died in 2013 at the age of 94, was awarded the Gold Star Medal of the Hero of Russia in 2013.

About 150 different kinds of small arms were designed under his leadership.

However, it was the AK47 -- invented in 1946 -- which became his most famous creation. Its reliability coupled with its low production and sales costs have made it ubiquitous in conflict zones around the world.