Russian Gunmaker Kalashnikov Turns to Weapons in the midst of War in Ukraine

• Kalashnikov is the famous weapons manufacturer behind the AK-47. He has reported a rise in small-arms sales.
• According to the Russian company, there has been an increase in sales and exports to civilians abroad.
• The increase comes as Moscow calls up troops — who will likely be armed with Kalashnikovs — to fight in Ukraine.

While many Russians have been hurt by the pursuit of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, one beneficiary seems to be emerging.

Kalashnikov reports that the legendary AK-47 is being rebuilt by him. A huge rise in sales of small arms. Although the company attributes the boom to increased overseas sales and exports to civilians, it’s more than coincidence that it happens alongside the war in Ukraine.

Russia has already lost 65,000 soldiers and is currently drafting more than 200,000 men to go to war. Many of these troops have already complained about the way they are being issued Old and rusty AK-47sDating back to the Cold War

Kalashnikov is the Russian manufacturer of most small arms, so many of these new rifles are likely to be needed by reluctant conscripts.

According to the company, “The Kalashnikov Concern increased production of small arms 40 percent.” Export contracts for the supply military products and an increase on civilian weapons exports resulted in a significant increase of small arms production by 2022. In September, the actual civilian weapon exports were almost equal to 2021’s total.

Kalashnikov claims that its production goals have reached a 20 year high. Alan Lushnikov is the company’s president. He said, “This year we see an increase on the market for civil small arms comparison to last year.” “This is why our production capacity are very intensively loaded this season.”

Kalashnikov, a grouping manufacturing firms, supplies 95% Russian small arms. Russia’s Rostec arms conglomerate partly owns the firm.

Lushnikov — a former Russian deputy transport minister who acquired a 75% stake in the company in 2020 — has previously said that 79% of revenue comes from military orders and the remainder from civilian purchases.

Sales of small arms are possible

Kalashnikov manufactures sniper rifles and shotguns as well as anti-aircraft missiles, drones and laser-guided artillery shells.

After Russia annexed Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine in 2014, the US government bans imports Russian-made Kalashnikovs. In August 2021 the US State DepartmentRussian-made ammunition was banned from being imported after Aleksey Nailny, an opposition politician was poisoned.

The weapons are still available through Kalashnikov USA – a separate company that produces the weapons in America.

“Originally an importer of Russian-made firearms, the company began manufacturing its own guns — based on the Russian specifications — after the US government banned their importation,” says Kalashnikov USA’s website. “Today, the company produces a wide range of semi-auto AK-pattern rifles, shotguns or pistols for the US civilian market.”

Recent years have seen a rise in firearms sales in the US as well as globally. Most weapons are owned by civilians, rather than law enforcement or the military.

Research firm based in the USA Small Arms Analytics estimated that at least 12.7 million guns were sold in the US between January and September 2022 — down from the same periods in 2021 and 2020 but well above the 9.7 million sold in 2019.

The Small Arms SurveyThe non-governmental organization based in Switzerland, , estimates that the global stockpile increased in the last decade largely because of civilian holdings. They grew from 650m in 2006 to 857m in 2017.

European countries have also banned Russian arms imports, just like the US. Nevertheless, Russia has banned all imports of arms from Europe. Many other countries are available — some with AK-47s on their Flags national — that might still order Kalashnikovs because of price, familiarity, or nostalgia.

Ironically, Kalashnikov might not like what is best for Russian soldiers.

The most lethal weapons in Ukraine are artillery, Tanks?, and MissilesRussia, You are running outThey are all of them. They will all be killed by poorly trained conscripts who are sent onto modern battlefields without the support of heavy weapons, regardless of how old their rifles may be.

Michael Peck is a defense journalist whose work has been published in Forbes and Defense News as well as Foreign Policy magazine. He has a master’s degree in political science. Follow him on TwitterAnd LinkedIn.