Shoigu about Mikhail Kalashnikov: legend, true hero and symbol of Fatherland has died
MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu has sent his condolences to the family and friends of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, who died at the age of 94 on Monday, the Defense Ministry said.
"At this painful time of loss, please accept by sincere condolences in connection with the death of the outstanding designer of small arms, the Hero of the Russian Federation, the twice Hero of Socialist Labor and true officer of Russia," the defense minister said in a message.
"For many generations of defenders of the Motherland, his name became a symbol of the reliability and glory of Russian weapons and a symbol of pride for their country. Thanks to their exceptional tactical and technical characteristics, the assault rifle and other specimens of small arms invented by him, Kalashnikov's name has been one of the most prominent and relevant brands on the world's weapons market for many decades," Shoigu said.
"The entire life of Mikhail Timofeyevich [Kalashnikov] serves as the most vivid example of selfless service to the Fatherland, loyalty to the once chosen profession of weapons design where he did a great deal to enhance the combat might of the Armed Forces of our state," he said.
"We have lost a legendary man, a true hero and symbol of our Fatherland," Shoigu said.
