Russian schoolchildren handed Kalashnikov rifles in class in honor of the weapons designer’s 105th birthday

Four schoolchildren pose with a Kalashnikov rifle in class in the town of Kaluga. / Source: Agentstvo

In the past week, Russian schools hosted over 70 events to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919-2013), the creator of the AK-47 rifle.

Between Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, schools and school-affiliated organizations from 16 regions across Russia shared at least 74 photo reports of these events on the social network VK, according to an analysis by the independent investigative outlet Agentstvo (lit. “The Agency”). The celebrations in honor of the weapons designer included quizzes, competitions, exhibitions, film lectures, and lessons on “courage.” In at least one instance, children engaged with members of Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardiya).

Many of the events included demonstrations of Kalashnikov rifle models, most famously the AK-47, with children being allowed to assemble and disassemble them under adult supervision.

The most extensive celebrations occurred in the Altai Krai — a Russian region bordering northern Kazakhstan — where Kalashnikov was born. Groups from the region posted at least 29 reports. The activities were carried out in collaboration with the Dvizhenye Pervykh movement (lit. “Movement of the First”) — a government-backed organization claiming to foster “patriotism” and “civic values.”

Agentstvo also counted 12 reports in school groups in the Udmurt Republic — where Kalashnikov lived and died. An additional 15 reports of commemorative events came from schools in the Kaluga Region, with quizzes serving as the primary activity.

Educational institutions across the Amur, Kemerovo, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, and Jewish Autonomous regions, along with those in Bashkortostan, Mordovia, Komi, and the Trans-Baikal, Primorsky, and Stavropol territories, shared between one and a few reports each.

State libraries also played an active role in marking Kalashnikov’s anniversary. Library staff conducted lectures in schools and hosted events at their own locations. Mock AK-47 models were displayed in some libraries in the Udmurt Republic and the Saratov Region, attracting children who eagerly posed for photos.

In previous years, Kalashnikov’s birthday was marked with notably less fanfare. Schools posted only a few reports on VK in 2022 and 2023, and there were no such reports in 2021. During the centennial celebration of Kalashnikov in 2019, Russia’s Ministry of Education advised schools to conduct a nationwide lesson about the designer.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the government in Moscow has increased efforts to incorporate militarization into school curricula. In September 2023, an introductory military training course, abolished after the Soviet Union’s collapse, was reintroduced in schools across the country. As of September 2024, the “Basics of Life Safety” course has been renamed “Basics of Security and Homeland Defense” and features updated topics of discussions on Russia's national security and role in the world.

The Insider has also detailed a surge in Russia of children's “military-patriotic camps,” where children hear speeches from well-known propagandists and other figures involved in the invasion of Ukraine, learn to operate drones, and weave camouflage nets for the military. Although these camps began to take shape in 2020, they have only now become widespread.