Kalashnikov Concern
The Kalashnikov Concern is a Russian manufacturer of small arms, ammunition and military equipment, formed in 2013 by merging several enterprises in the Russian defence industry. It includes the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, where Kalashnikov-pattern rifles have been produced since the late 1940s. The company is part of the state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec. The concern has been under international sanctions because of its role in supplying weapons to the Russian armed forces.
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Zelensky signs sanctions against former press secretary Mendel and Russian propagandists
President Volodymyr Zelensky on 13 September 2026 enacted personal sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defense Council against his former press secretary Yulia Mendel, the only Ukrainian citizen among 10 individuals in the package. On the same day he signed two further decrees targeting 29 Russian citizens and 29 companies linked to the state corporation Rostec, and 20 vessels of the Russian shadow fleet. The move follows a May 2026 interview in which Mendel repeated Russian-aligned claims to U.S. podcaster Tucker Carlson.