“I created a machine gun not for war, but to protect peace.” Mikhail Kalashnikov Memorial Day celebrated in Moscow – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

As Vladimir Medinsky, assistant to the president of Russia and president of the Russian Military Historical Society, noted, the name of Mikhail Kalashnikov will live on for centuries.

“It is difficult to find a person on Earth who has not heard the word Kalashnikov, even without knowing that it is a Russian surname, but has heard the word,” Medinsky said. -He was an incredible person, a genius. He created not only a machine gun, but also dozens of inventions. Brilliant simplicity. He said: “I am a soldier, I made a simple and convenient weapon for soldiers.” Now one of the world’s biggest concerns bears his name. The name Kalashnikov has acquired absolute eternity.

Rostec Corporation CEO Sergei Chemezov shared his memories of Kalashnikov.

“The machine gun he created made the weak strong and the strong invincible,” Chemezov said. -His favorite phrase was: “I created a machine gun not for war, but to protect the world.”

As Chemezov noted, today Kalashnikov small arms are the most popular in the world. The armies of more than 100 countries are armed with its machine gun.