30ft-high statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov unveiled in Moscow
by Marc Bennetts in Moscow from World news | The Guardian on (#32JHY)
Russian creator of the AK-47, used to kill an estimated 250,000 people a year, celebrated in controversial ceremony
A statue of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, has been unveiled in central Moscow in a controversial ceremony that merged military pomp with religious ritual.
The nine-metre (30ft) monument depicts Kalashnikov clutching his eponymous automatic weapon. Tuesday's event was attended by high-ranking Russian officials including Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, and Vladimir Medinsky, the culture minister.
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