By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Russian government is planning to undertake serious measures to fight counterfeit production of Russian weaponry in foreign countries, especially the Kalashnikov assault (AK) rifles.
According to Kalashnikov producer Izhmash, Russia accounts for only 10-12 percent of the million Kalashnikov rifles sold globally every year, with the rest being unlicensed copies.
“Unfortunately, many countries, including those that consider themselves civilised, do not respect the patents of Russian manufacturers,” Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said during a Cabinet meeting Monday.
“We must make the recognition of our property rights a priority in military-technical cooperation,” Rogozin said.
According to experts, exports of illegally produced Russian arms cost the country up to $6 billion a year and also damage Russia’s image.
The most notorious example is the illegal production of the famed Kalashnikov assault rifles in at least 15 countries, especially in eastern Europe, experts say.