Profile
- Type
- 7.62x39mm assault rifle
- Conflict side
- UkraineRussian-backed separatist forces
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Introduced in 1959; still encountered in current conflicts through legacy stocks and licensed production
Infantry Weapons
AKM
The AKM is the stamped-receiver modernization of the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle, chambered for 7.62x39mm and built around a long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt. Its lower production burden, broad Warsaw Pact and licensed manufacture, and large legacy stocks keep it visible in the Russia-Ukraine War, where Ukrainian personnel have trained with AKM rifles and CAR documented AKM examples recovered from Russian-backed formations in eastern Ukraine.
- Conflict side
- UkraineRussian-backed separatist forces
- Built by
- Izhmashlicensed manufacturers
- Built in
- Soviet Unionlicensed producers
Service History
- In service
- 1959-present
- Used by
- Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian-backed separatist forces, Soviet Army, Warsaw Pact and licensed-user forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Mikhail Kalashnikov
- Designed
- 1950s
- Built by
- Izhmashlicensed manufacturers
- Built in
- Soviet Unionlicensed producers
- Produced
- 1959-1977 in Soviet production; later licensed and derivative production continued elsewhere
- Variants
- AKM, AKMS, AKML, Licensed national AKM-pattern rifles
Specifications
- Cartridge
- 7.62x39mm M43
- Action
- Gas-operated, rotating bolt, select-fire
- Overall length
- 880 mm
- Barrel length
- 415 mm
- Empty weight
- About 3.3 kg
- Magazine
- 30-round detachable box magazine
- Cyclic rate
- About 600 rounds per minute
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: UkraineRussian-backed separatist forces
Ukrainian forces continued to train and serve with Soviet-pattern Kalashnikov rifles, including AKM assault rifles, during the full-scale invasion; CAR also documented AKM rifles among weapons recovered from DPR/LPR formations in eastern Ukraine before 2022.
Related Weapon Systems
AK-125.45 mm assault rifleThe AK-12 is a Russian 5.45x39 mm assault rifle developed by Kalashnikov Concern as a modernized service weapon with improved ergonomics, accessory rails, optical-sight compatibility, and an adjustable folding stock. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a Russian frontline small arm, while captured examples became visible in Ukrainian hands during the opening phase of the 2022 invasion.
AKMSFolding-stock 7.62x39mm assault rifleThe AKMS is the under-folding-stock variant of the Soviet AKM assault rifle, retaining the AKM's stamped receiver, gas-operated selective-fire action, and 7.62x39mm chambering while giving airborne, vehicle-mounted, and compact-carry users a shorter folded profile. In the Russia-Ukraine War, ARES documented a specific AKMS seized by Ukrainian police from an alleged Russian saboteur, illustrating how older Kalashnikov-pattern rifles still appear alongside newer small arms.
AK-74M5.45 mm assault rifleThe AK-74M is the modernized Russian production model of the AK-74 family, chambered for 5.45x39 mm ammunition with black polymer furniture and a left-folding stock. In the Russia-Ukraine War it remains a baseline infantry rifle for Russian regular units, even as AK-12 rifles supplement it and older AKM rifles appear among mobilized troops.
PKM/PK7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PK and lighter PKM are Soviet-designed, belt-fed 7.62x54R general-purpose machine guns used from bipods, tripods, vehicles, and improvised mounts. Their low weight for the class, non-disintegrating belt feed, quick-change barrel concept, and wide Warsaw Pact distribution make the family a common infantry fire-support weapon in the Russia-Ukraine War, where Ukrainian units continue to operate PKM-pattern guns alongside newer and foreign-supplied machine guns.
PKP Pecheneg7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunThe PKP Pecheneg is a Russian 7.62x54mmR belt-fed machine gun derived from the PKM but built around a heavier forced-air-cooled barrel and forward bipod for sustained squad fire. It remains a Russian infantry support weapon and has also appeared in Ukraine, including separatist use reported during the Donbas phase of the war and later Ukrainian use of captured examples.
RPK/RPK-74Squad automatic weapon / light machine gunThe RPK and RPK-74 are Kalashnikov-pattern squad automatic weapons that extend the AK family with a longer, heavier barrel, bipod, and higher-capacity magazines for sustained fire by infantry sections. The 7.62 x 39 mm RPK paralleled the AKM, while the 5.45 x 39 mm RPK-74 followed the AK-74; both remain relevant in the Russia-Ukraine War because legacy Soviet and Russian stocks continue to appear in front-line small-arms holdings.Sources
Soviet AKM riflePublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports AKM background, adoption context, Izhmash creator attribution, and physical dimensions for a Soviet AKM example. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Kalashnikov AKM modernized assault riflePublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports AKM technical specifications including cartridge, length, barrel length, weight, magazine capacity, and cyclic rate. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukraine launches large-scale production of assault riflesPublisher: Oboronka / Mezha Media | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War context for Ukrainian forces training with AKM assault rifles in 2024 and continued reliance on Kalashnikov-pattern rifles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Weapons of the War in UkrainePublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War documentation of AKM assault rifles recovered from DPR/LPR formations in eastern Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AKM (rifle).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reuse terms for the primary AKM image, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL. | Accessed: 2026-06-20