I've always wanted to improve and expand on the good name of my weapon by doing good things.

I was trying to perform as best as possible. I was a boy at the time, but worked well with the sickle.

My aim was to create armaments to protect the borders of my motherland. It is not my fault that the Kalashnikov became very well-known in the world; that it was used in many troubled places. I think the policies of these countries are to blame, not the designers. Man is born to protect his family, his children, his wife. But I want you to know that apart from armaments, I have written three books in which I try to educate our youth to show respect for their families, for old people, for history.

When a young man, I read somewhere the following: God the Almighty said, 'All that is too complex is unnecessary, and it is simple that is needed.' So this has been my lifetime motto – I have been creating weapons to defend the borders of my fatherland, to be simple and reliable.

The fact that people die because of an AK-47 is not because of the designer, but because of politics.

Before attempting to create something new, it is vital to have a good appreciation of everything that already exists in this field.

It is painful for me to see when criminal elements of all kinds fire from my weapon.