Russia has launched a factory for the production of cartridges for Kalashnikov assault rifles in Venezuela
Russia has launched the first phase of a plant in Venezuela for the production of 7.62 mm caliber cartridges for Kalashnikov assault rifles. The plant will produce up to 70 million cartridges per year, according to the Russian state corporation Rostec.
The first phase includes four production lines. Two of them will produce cartridges with steel-core bullets, and the rest will produce cartridges with tracer bullets and blank cartridges. Each line is capable of producing tens of thousands of units per shift.
The Russian company hopes to soon launch the remaining production facilities. This will allow for the establishment of a full production cycle of cartridges and Kalashnikov assault rifles (AK-103) on Venezuelan territory.
Regarding the establishment of two enterprises in Venezuela for the licensed production of AK-103 and 7.62 mm caliber cartridges, an agreement was reached in 2006 between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Hugo Chavez. The project implementation started in 2009.
Construction has been repeatedly postponed, in particular due to difficulties caused by COVID-19 restrictions, sanctions, and corruption scandals, writes The Moscow Times.
- On June 17, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia is modernizing Iranian "Shaheds" and transferring production to North Korea. According to him, this poses a threat not only to Ukraine.
