Maxim Kalashnikov

Vladimir Kucherenko
Born	(1966-12-21) December 21, 1966 Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR, USSR
Pen name	Maxim Kalashnikov
Occupation	Journalist, Novelist, Publicist, Political Activist
Alma mater	Moscow State University
Genre	History, Geopolitics

Vladimir Alexandrovich Kucherenko (Russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Кучере́нко) (born December 21, 1966), better known by the pen name Maxim Kalashnikov (Макси́м Кала́шников), is a Russian patriotic writer, publicist, and political activist.

His writings focus on praising the Soviet Union and its political and economic system from a Russian nationalist perspective, criticizing the Russian government, and discussing the perceived NATO (particularly American) threat to Russia and the likelihood that this antagonism will result in a nuclear war between Russia and NATO.

Kucherenko was born in Ashgabat on December 21, 1966, but spent much of his childhood in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). He served in the Red Army from 1985 to 1987, and graduated from Moscow State University in 1991 with degree in history. Kucherenko is the father of three daughters, and published his first book in 1993.

Ideology and criticism

Maxim Kalashnikov is predominately a Russian nationalistic agitator. Being an expert in Russian history, economics and military, he criticizes modern Russia and praise the Soviet system, or more precisely what it had been under Joseph Stalin and what it could have become without Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail Gorbachev. He is an advocate of "a federated Russian Empire" consisting of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, parts of Belarus, Moldova's breakaway Transdniester and Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He has described himself as a supporter of "dismemberment" of Georgia and creation of Russian-allied enclaves in its territory.

Kalashnikov has often been criticized for lack of objectivity and abuse of sentimentalism in his writings. However, most Russians regard him as an author with the sole objective to sensitize the Russian people and give them pride for their nation. Kalashnikov targets primarily the Russian youth and younger generations. He has also been criticized for making countless contradictions. For example, Stalin and the Soviet system are praised in some parts, and in others Kalashnikov holds sharp anti-Communist arguments.

In September 2009 President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev urged the government to study Kalashnikov's ideas for speeding the development of the country’s innovative economy posted at LiveJournal.

Major works

• Московский спрут The Muscovite Octopus (1993)
• Москва — империя тьмы Moscow - the Empire of Darkness (1995)
• Сломанный меч империи The Broken Sword of the Empire (1998/2000/2002)
• Битва за небеса The Battle for Skies (2000/2002)
• Гнев орка The Wrath of the Orc(in collaboration with Krupnoviy 2003)
• Оседлай молнию Ride the Lightning (in collaboration with Krupnoviy 2003)
• Вперед, в СССР-2 Towards USSR 2.0 (2003)
• Третий проект: книга-расследование в 3 тт. The Third Project: Investigation Book in 3 Volumes (in collaboration with Kugusheviy 2005/2006)
• Код Путина The Putin Code (2005)
• Война с Големом The War Against the Golem (2006)
• Сверхчеловек говорит по-русски The Übermensch Speaks Russian (in collaboration with Russoviy, 2006)
• Крещение огнём The Baptism of Fire (2007)