Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of fabled AK-47 automatic rifle, died today. He was 94.

The office of the Presidency in the Udmurtia region of Russia where he worked said, Kalashnikov designed a weapon that became synonymous with killing on a sometimes indiscriminate scale, but was seen in the Soviet Union as a national hero and symbol of Moscow's proud military past.

Lavished with honours including the prestigious Hero of Russia prize for designing the iconic rifle, Kalashnikov has said he had never intended for it to become the preferred weapon in conflicts around the world.

Kalashnikov said during an award ceremony at the Kremlin to mark his 90th birthday that he created a weapon to defend the fatherland's borders. He said, it is not his fault that it was sometimes used where it shouldn't have been, and this is the fault of politicians.