"The legendary AK-47 was born to protect the Fatherland"
Russian press revealed on January 13 that legendary gun designer Mikhail Kalashnikov wrote a letter to the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church shortly before his death, expressing his remorse that he may have been at fault for those whose lives were taken by the AK-47.
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Kalkashnikov at a military funeral home in Moscow in December 2013. Photo: RIA |
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"My mental anguish is unbearable. I often ask myself the same unanswered question: if my gun takes the life of another person, am I responsible for their death, even if they are my enemy?" he asked in the letter.
The letter, written on Kalashnikov's personal typewriter, was reprinted in Izvestia. Kalashnikov signed it in a trembling hand. He called himself "a slave of God, designer Mikhail Kalashnikov."
Kalashnikov designed the simple and durable AK-47 rifle in 1947 (hence the name), after seeing the Red Army suffering from a shortage of weapons during World War II.
Now the AK-47 is illegally produced around the world, becoming a symbol associated with armed rebel movements.
Kalashnikov wrote in the letter that he only went to church at the age of 91 and was baptized.
Patriarch Kirill's press secretary Alexander Volkov told Izvestia that the Russian Church leader received the letter and wrote a reply himself.
"The Church has a very clear position: when weapons are used to defend the Fatherland, the Church supports both the creators and the soldiers who use them," said Mr. Volkov. "He designed this gun to defend his homeland, not for terrorists."
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| Kalashnikov was once awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Socialist Republic. Photo: AFP |
Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov was born on November 10, 1919 in the village of Kurya, Altay Region. For his outstanding contributions to Russia in the defense of the Fatherland, he was awarded the title of Hero of Russia and twice awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor of the Soviet Union.
At his funeral, held with state ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally visited and placed red roses on the coffin of the father of the legendary rifle.
According to Vietnam+
