Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the famed Russian AK-47 assault rifle, died Monday in his home city of Izhevsk, an industrial town, Xinhua reported.
"We received sad news today ... Kalashnikov died at the age of 94 after a prolonged illness," Viktor Chulkov, press secretary of the president of Russia's Udmurt Republic, was quoted as saying.
Kalashnikov had been admitted to an intensive care unit in Izhevsk, capital of the Udmurt Republic, in serious but stable condition in mid-November. In June, Kalashnikov reportedly underwent a surgery in Moscow to have a pacemaker implanted.