Komrade Kalashnikov

This is actually kind of cool.

Mikhail Kalashnikov, developer of the popular Russian AK-47 assault rifle, will take part in an international arms show that opens Saturday in Abu Dhabi, the news agency ITAR-TASS reported Monday.

Kalachnikov will be at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference, where his namesake rifles, made by the Ijmach factory, will be showcased, said Nikolai Dimidiuk, a spokesman for Rosoboronextport, the leading Russian arms exporter. (...)

The February 12-17 event, the Middle East's biggest international arms show, was an opportunity to spotlight the Russian factory, Kalashnikov said.

"The exposition in the Emirates is a step forward in promoting the production of the Ijmach factory on the international markets," the AK-47's developer said.

"Our factory gives total performance guarantees for this Russian firearm and proposes advantageous conditions for long-term cooperation," he said.

Easy to handle, relatively cheap to make, sturdy and reliable, the Kalashnikov has been a favorite weapon of rebel and other forces supplied by the former Soviet Union.

More than 100 million of the rifles have been sold worldwide.

For more information about Kalashnikov rifles or Mikhail Kalashnikov himself, Kalashnikov AK is a good choice.