Legendary rifle designer Kalashnikov in hospitalDecember 25, 2012 - 21:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia’s legendary rifle designer Mikhail Kalashnikov has been hospitalised in intensive care after complaining of general weakness, his assistant says, according to AAP. The 93-year-old father of the AK-47 has been having heart problems and feeling poorly since March, when he stopped showing up for work, his aide told the RIA Novosti news agency on Tuesday, December 25. The assistant said Kalashnikov was sent to intensive care on Thursday after complaining of swelling. "I last got in touch with (Kalashnikov's) driver. He said that everything was fine," Shklyayev told the Interfax news agency. Kalashnikov designed his iconic rifles - staples of armies across the world for the past half century - at the Izhmash factory in the central city of Izhevsk. Originally formed in 1807, Izhmash remains one of the main producers of Russian weapons. But like several other specialised industrial firms, it has been hit by dwindling post-Soviet demand and its failure to make up for this with foreign orders. Kalashnikov and 16 colleagues raised the alarm about the situation at Izhmash in an open letter to President Vladimir Putin last month, saying production had fallen to an all-time low and the factory needed to be saved. According to popular legend, Kalashnikov began designing weapons after having trouble with the rifles the Soviet Red Army was using during World War II. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |