Inventor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle dies at 94
The inventor of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, has died aged 94, Russian TV reports.
The automatic rifle he designed became one of the world's most familiar and widely used weapons.
In 2009 Mr Kalashnikov was awarded the prestigious Hero of Russia award by President Medvedev, in a ceremony held at the Kremlin.
Jonathan Marcus reports.