The Kalashnikov is the most common weapon in the world and a real pride for many Russians. In 2013 he was the Creator of the legendary Mikhail Kalashnikov died on 95-th year of life. And that’s after 4 years of this important historical figure to put up a monument right in the center of Moscow.
Monument to a height of 8 meters installed on the Garden ring, near Armory lane. The opening ceremony timed to the Day of the gunsmith, was held under military folk songs and talk about the Kalashnikov, which «ensured the security of Russia».
The monument to the outstanding Russian ?? the designer gunsmith Mikhail #Kalashnikov|u is open in Moscow pic.twitter.com/20MoiUD5m9
— GK of the Russian Federation ?? in Geneva (@RusConsulGen) September 19, 2017
«Mikhail Kalashnikov is the epitome of the best traits of the Russian people, — said at the opening ceremony the Minister of culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky. — Extraordinary natural talent, simplicity, honesty, organizational skills – all this helped to create a whole line of weapons to defend the Fatherland, a among whom, of course, there is an automatic Kalashnikov rifle, which, you might say, a true cultural brand of Russia».
Mikhail Kalashnikov: «I created the weapon to protect his country» (quote is immortalized on the monument to the legendary designer) pic.twitter.com/cEpwaonaAM
— Russia in RSA ?? (@EmbassyofRussia) September 19, 2017
After the ceremony the daughter of a gunsmith Elena Kalashnikova told reporters that the father was very proud of his creation. According to her, he didn’t like that he created the weapon «wandering around the world,» but he was glad that the Americans appreciated the design of the machine.
It is worth noting that not everyone in Russia was delighted from the monument to the famous countryman. Some well-known personalities, not hiding emotions, expressed his negative opinion on this matter.
For example, a popular Russian singer and the leader of group «the time Machine» Andrei Makarevich called the monument a disgrace to Russia: «If to count, how many people on the planet killed of his weapons, you get millions. Although what is interesting – the war with the Nazis AK did not catch, came after. So where he defended the borders of our Motherland?»
Well. Pamatnik Kalashnikov. May we be proud of. If you calculate how many people on the planet killed it on…
Posted by Andrey Makarevich on Monday, September 18, 2017
Another Russian politician and prominent opposition leader Dmitry Gudkov more harshly criticized the monument, created by sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov: «this is monstrous. As monstrous and all the other «gifts for the capital» from the court sculptors like the current Salavat Scherbakov. I’m not saying that the Kalashnikov monument — a monument to the murder weapon.»
In Moscow opened a monument to Kalashnikov. He’s monstrous. As monstrous and all the other «gifts for the capital» from the court sculpto…
Posted by Dmitry Gudkov on Tuesday, September 19, 2017
By the way, the Creator of the monument stated that he had made not just a statue on a pedestal, a composition which reflects the nature of a Kalashnikov. According to him, he tried to portray the eternal theme of struggle between good and evil — so, the Archangel pierces the serpent with a spear, on which is carved an AK-47.
All, according to various estimates, in the world including licensed and unlicensed copies, there are between 70 to 100 million Kalashnikovs various modifications. In a published 2004 study, the Small Arms Survey said that the Kalashnikov rifles make up about one-fifth of all firearms in the world.
