Mikhail Kalashnikov
The Man Who Armed the World
"I keep asking myself the same question. If my rifle took people's lives, can it be that I... am to blame for their deaths?"
Designed the AK-47, the most widely used weapon in history. Intended for defense, it became the weapon of choice for terrorists, child soldiers, and dictators.
A Soldier's Defense
Mikhail Kalashnikov designed his rifle to protect his motherland. He was a tank mechanic injured in WWII, obsessed with creating a weapon that would save Soviet soldiers.
The Uncontrollable Fire
He succeeded too well. The weapon was cheap, durable, and impossible to break. Eventually, it broke loose from state control. He watched with horror as his invention killed more people than the atomic bomb.
The Letter to God
In his final months, at age 94, the staunch communist wrote a letter to the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. He asked if he was spiritually responsible for the millions of deaths caused by his machine. "The pain in my soul is unbearable," he wrote.
Biografie
Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919–2013) was a Soviet and Russian lieutenant general and military engineer.
Sleutelgebeurtenissen
Birth
Born in Kurya.
AK-47
The rifle is adopted by the Soviet Army.
The Letter
Writes a penitent letter to the Church.
Death
Dies at age 94.
Belangrijkste Projecten
AK-47: Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947.
PK Machine Gun: General-purpose machine gun.
Onderscheidingen
Hero of the Russian Federation: Highest honorary title.
Erfenis
His name is synonymous with armed conflict.
Het Einde
Died on December 23, 2013, in Izhevsk.
Muur Echo's
Fluisteren door de tijd