Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the AK-47 rifle that has killed more people than any other firearm in the world, died on Monday at the age of 94.
Kalashnikov, who was in his 20s when he created the AK-47 just after World War II, died in his home city of Izhevsk near the Ural Mountains in Russia, where his gun is still made.
The Russian state media that announced the death, however, did not give the cause.
It said Kalashnikov was fitted with electric heartbeat stimulator at a Moscow hospital in June and had been in the hospital in Izhevsk since Nov. 17.
The AK-47, which rarely jams even in adverse conditions, went into service in the Soviet armed forces in 1949 and today, Kalashnikov rifles are still a mainstay of Russia’s armed forces and police in the world.
Also known as the weapon of choice for guerrillas, the gun and its imitations have been used in conflicts around the world for decades.
At a lavish Kremlin ceremony on Kalashnikov’s 90th birthday, the then Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, bestowed on him the highest state honour, the Hero of Russia gold star medal and lauded him “for creating the national brand every Russian is proud of.’’
Kalashnikov, a son of Siberian peasants who never finished school, said pride in his iconic invention was mixed with the pain of seeing it used by criminals and child soldiers.
