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Historical society vows no new images for slip-up on Kalashnikov monument

Sculptor Salavat Scherbakov decided not to make any new image to replace an error on the monument dedicated to Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russia’s outstanding small arms designer

MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. Sculptor Salavat Scherbakov decided not to make any new image to replace an error on the monument dedicated to Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russia’s outstanding small arms designer, the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS) told TASS on Monday.

Mass media reported earlier that a depiction on one of the pedestal’s sides featured a blueprint of a German StG 44 rifle designed by Hugo Schmeisser instead of the legendary AK-47, also known as the Kalashnikov. The Russian Military Historical Society recognized the mistake.

"Sculptor Salavat Scherbakov decided not to add a new drawing and removed part of the slab. Nothing new will be installed on the monument," Head of the RMHS Information Policy Department Nadezhda Usmanova said.

She added that experts from Scherbakov’s workshop had smoothed over the wrong drawing on Friday in order to depict the legendary Kalashnikov in its place. However, the sculptor changed his mind later and just removed the slab.

The sculpture’s details

The monument dedicated to Mikhail Kalashnikov was inaugurated in Moscow on September 19, Gunmaker’s Day, at the intersection of Sadovaya-Karetnaya and Dolgorukovskaya Streets at the initiative of the Russian Military Historical Society and supported by the Moscow State Duma and the Rostech corporation. The eight-meter high monument depicts the small arms designer holding an AK-47 rifle, along with models of weapons designed under Kalashnikov’s guidance as well as his drawings and tools that symbolize his work.