Following seven months of the war in Ukraine, Russian firearms manufacturer Kalashnikov weapons industry has already recorded its best sales in 20 years this year, with assault rifles being purchased at a "record" rate.
According to industry president Alan Luznikov, its automatic assault rifle sales are up 40% this year. He did not provide an absolute number of sales of the world's most popular assault rifle.
Mr Luzhnikov pointed out that the Russian Ministry of Defence receives the vast majority of supplies.
"Ensuring the country's defence capability, particularly in the current environment, is the task on which all departments of the company are focussed without exception," he said.
According to the head of the Russian arms manufacturer, exports are increasing in addition to domestic sales. He assured that sales abroad surpassed those of the previous year in September.
"Our production capacity is being used intensively this year," Mr Luznikov says. It is known, for example, that the Indian armed forces will receive 70,000 AK-103 rifles this year.
More than 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles of various types are now exported worldwide each year, according to the state-owned arms export company Rosoboronexport.
