Nazi gun removed from statue of AK-47 founder Mikhail Kalashnikov in Moscow | News | DW | 22.09.2017

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Nazi gun removed from statue of AK-47 founder Mikhail Kalashnikov in Moscow

Russian authorities have corrected a mistake in part of a statue that honors the developer of one of Russia's most famous exports. Muscovites noticed the error in the 7.5 meter monument and alerted city chiefs.

Russian Kalashnikov statue in Moscow.

Workers have removed a depiction of a gun used by the German army during the Second World War from a new monument honoring Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian inventor of the widely recognized AK-47 rifle, three days after the statue's unveiling in Moscow.

The sculptor, Salavat Scherbakov, admitted the mistake on Friday after angry locals discovered that the metal bas-relief behind the statue of Kalashnikov included an image of the Sturmgewehr 44 ("storm rifle"), an assault rifle used by Nazi forces in the later years of the Second World War.

Hours later, a worker used an angle grinder to remove the illustration of the rifle, according to news agency AFP, leaving a square hole in the bas-relief that depicts lesser known weapons designed by Kalashnikov alongside the AK-47.

Russian authorities presented the seven-meter (23-feet) high statue of the inventor, who died in 2013, in central Moscow on Tuesday in a ceremony that included a military parade.

Russian troops march past Kalashnikov statue in Moscow

Russia inaugurated the statue to celebrate the work of Mikhail Kalashnikov on Tuesday with much pomp

Speaking at the event, Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky called the AK-47 a "cultural brand for Russia" and its founder a man who symbolized "the best attributes of a Russian."

Kalashnikov became a hero in his native Soviet Union for designing the "Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947" (AK-47) that many experts consider one of the most effective guns ever invented.

Russian armies used the rifle for over 60 years and the weapon continues to be in service in over 50 countries today. According to the gun's manufacturer, every fifth firearm is a Kalashnikov and over 100 million have been produced.

The weapon has long been associated with revolutionary militant groups, many of which have used the relatively cheap weapon since its invention in 1947.

amp/mm (Reuters, AFP)

  • Mikhail Kalashnikov posing with his creation (picture alliance/dpa/S.Thomas )

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    Seven decades of Kalashnikov

    The 30-round AK 47 is arguably the most recognizable firearm in the world. The Soviet engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov (pictured above in 2002) created the automatic rifle after World War II. It quickly earned a reputation for being cheap and reliable, with various armies, guerilla groups and street gangs all using the weapon to this day.

  • A close-up of the Makarov pistol (Imageo)

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    Makarov goes to space

    The 9mm Makarov pistol entered service in 1951 as a staple sidearm for the Soviet army, police and Spetsnaz special forces. Soviet cosmonauts even took the weapon to space as a part of a special survival kit, which was provided to them in case they become stranded upon landing back on Earth.

  • MiG-29 during a demonstration flight (picture-alliance/dpa/L. Marina)

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    MiG-29 still flying high

    The Mikoyan MiG-29 first entered production in the early 1980s, and was praised as a highly maneuverable and agile dogfighter. The original model has since been upstaged by both NATO fighters and its more expensive brother Sukhoi, but its variants are still deployed in combat. The Russian air force uses MiG-29s to target the so-called "Islamic State" forces in Syria.

  • Katyushas on display in the Russian city of Saratov (picture-alliance/dpa/H.Brix)

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    Blast from the past

    The Red Army used Katyushas to devastating effect against German soldiers in World War II. The multiple rocket launchers were attached to army trucks, making them cheap and highly mobile. Its distinctive whine and appearance reminded the German soldiers of a church organ, prompting a nickname "Stalinorgel" or "Stalin's organ."

  • S-300 deploying during a military drill in Astrakhan (picture-alliance/dpa/D. Rogulin)

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    S-300 and its descendants

    In 2016, Russia sold its advanced aerial defense system to Iran, but kept quiet on the details. The Cold War-era version of the S-300 had a range of 150 kilometers (93 miles), and could hit targets at altitudes above 27 kilometers, with the more modern Antey 2500 system reportedly expanding the range to 400 kilometers. India and China are seeking to buy the even-more-advanced S-400 missiles.

  • An Afhan soldier showing his Dragunov sniper rifle while patroling with US forces in Afghanistan. (Imago)

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    Dragunov sniper rifle

    The Dragunov sniper rifle was first introduced to the Soviet army in 1963 and has since found its way to war theaters across the world. It was reportedly used against US soldiers in Vietnam. In 2015, the SITE Intelligence Group published photos of the "Islamic State" soldiers with Dragunov rifles.

  • T-34 leading the way on Victory Day in March 2017 (picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/V. Sharifulin)

    The Soviet Union is dead, but its weapons live on

    T-34, a symbol of an era

    The Red Army owes much of its victory over Germany to the iconic T-34, which first appeared on the battlefield in 1941. The battle-tested T-34 eventually became the most widely produced tank of the war and influenced armored vehicles for decades. The Russian military still honors it by having it lead the Victory Day parade.

    Author: Darko Janjevic


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