The father of the AK-47 must be hospitalized

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the assault rifle legendary AK-47, was hospitalized for special care.

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RIA Novosti news agency quoted Nikolai Shklyayev, assistant of Mikhail Kalashnikov, said the 93-year-old father of the AK-47 had heart problems and felt his health weakened since March 2012.

'Last week, when he visited him at his home, he told me that while he was not in pain, he felt no strength at all,' recalls Nikolai Shklyayev. 'It seems like the problem is due to age'.

Shklyayev said last week Mr Kalashnikov was taken to hospital for special care after complaints about swelling.'I finally got in touch with the Kalashnikov driver. He said everything was fine , "Shklyayev told Interfax news agency.

Mikhail Kalashnikov and the legendary AK-47

Kalashnikov designed rifles that were the main weapon of many armies around the world for half a century at Izmash factory in downtown Izhevsk.

Founded in 1807, Izmash is still one of Russia's major weapons manufacturers. But like some other defense firms, the company was also affected by the decline in post-Soviet demand.

Last month, in an open letter to President Vladimir Putin, Kalashnikov and 16 colleagues issued a warning about this situation at Izhmash, saying production had fallen to its lowest level ever since. The plant needs to be rescued.

According to popular stories, Kalashnikov began designing the AK-47 series after having trouble with the rifles that the Soviet Red Army used during World War II.