[lbo-talk] Marketing the military image in Russia

Leigh Meyers leighcmeyers at yahoo.com
Tue Sep 21 06:51:53 PDT 2004


Guns... Alchohol... Nightlife!

"Promoters of Kalashnikov vodka say it is "made from grain harvested in Russia and water drawn from Lake Ladoga north of St Petersburg" and is best drunk with friends."

What Next? Uzi Bourbon?

Mon Sep 20, 2004 11:25 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The creator of one of the world's most famous guns, the AK-47 assault rifle, launched another weapon in Britain Monday -- Kalashnikov vodka.

Lieutenant General Mikhail Kalashnikov, who invented the AK-47 after being shot by German soldiers during World War II, said he wanted to continue "the good name" of his gun.

"I've always wanted to improve and expand on the good name of my weapon by doing good things," he told Reuters Television.

"So we decided to create a vodka under my name. And we wanted that vodka to be better than anything made, up until now, in both Russia and England."

The Kalashnikov rifle has become the weapon of choice for guerrillas and gangsters across the world. But Kalashnikov said his original intentions for the gun were purely patriotic.

"I did not create the gun for international conflicts, I created it to protect the borders of my country," he said. snip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=6281786&src=eDialog/GetContent&section=news =====================================



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