MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Kalashnikov rifle factory in Venezuela “according to plan”

Russia and Venezuela regard this project as part of Hugo Chávez's legacy, Shugayev explained

Despite opposition from Washington, the construction of a Kalashnikov AK-103 assault rifle factory in Venezuela is proceeding according to plans, Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Dmitry Shugayev told the Sputnik news service Wednesday.

“The works are organized in close cooperation with Venezuela. At the same time, with the imposition of sanctions by Washington, certain difficulties have arisen that have adversely affected logistics, training of specialists, and other project tasks. Despite this, the works are proceeding according to plan,” Shugayev commented.

He added that both countries regard this project as an important part of the heritage of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013). According to Shugayev, the production of rifles is intended primarily for Venezuela's security forces. “Production for orders from third countries is not excluded, but needs further study,” he added.

The factory is a military facility in the city of Maracay, in the state of Aragua to manufacture AK-103 and AK-104 assault rifles under Russian license.

The plant has suffered numerous setbacks. Its launch in 2021 had to be postponed due to sanctions imposed by the United States, coupled with delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In October 2021, Maduro sent Adán Chávez (Hugo's brother) to Moscow to discuss the project. He came back hoping it would be operational by the second half of 2022.

The delivery deadlines of the Kalashnikov assault rifle factory in Venezuela have also been postponed several times due to corruption scandals. In April 2009, the Russian company Rostec launched an investigation after a series of robberies. Former Russian Senator Sergei Popelniújov, who was supposed to guarantee the development of the project, was convicted of the alleged theft of approximately 16 million dollars. He claimed the factories were not built on time due to the extremely high inflation that affected the country.