Last Saturday, the creator of the world's most iconic rifle celebrated his 93rd birthday. Mikhail Kalashnikov is already approaching a century, but everybody knows that his creation will outlive him, and even still be useful for over a hundred years since it was first approved by the Soviet authorities. The Russian international news network, Russia Today, uploaded the next day a documentary on the Kalashnikov and its maker.

It's also refreshing to have an almost 30-minute documentary that is made from a Russian perspective that's broadcasted internationally. Whilst most of our knowledge about the rifle are from Western media, we notice the pride that every Russian takes with this rifle that according to Kalashnikov, was designed to protect his country's borders which suffered over 20 million deaths during World War II. However, it wasn't to be the case, it became the rifle of oppression and liberation at the same time, but as to the morality of using the firearm, we'd rather not delve into that. What was more important was knowing the intention for which the rifle was used, and that always will have at least two different opinions. As for that, the answer will always be "history is always written by the victor."

There is grudging respect and admiration from their former Cold War foes, the Americans, on the AK-47 and it's other variants since it reminds them that it is a great equalizer even for all the technical gadgetry and firepower that they wield, they are still stumped by that determined mujahedin wielding a dust-filled AK waiting in ambush somewhere in Afghanistan or other theatres of operations on the War on Terror. It also represents their post World War II  defeat in the hands of the North Vietnamese in the 1970s.

There are other facts in the making of the Kalashnikovs at the Izhmash plant such as the role of women being big in the assembly line, as they're more focused and efficient at making them. The tests conducted for each batch of rifles before these get shipped out and the tests are more torture ones. Also the special force units in the video may be showing us their training regimen that they all want us to see and may not exactly be showing how they really train.

Watch the video below and learn more about the rifle that helped write histories of a lot of nations and even the whole world.