Villager uncovers rifle stockpile

A RUSSIAN villager discovered a stockpile of Kalashnikov assault rifles hidden in the wooden crates he bought for 500 roubles (€12) from a stranger to use as fuel for his stove.

A total of 79 guns and 253 cartridges were stuffed in more than 60 wooden boxes bought by a man from Sovkhoznyy village in Udmurtia, 1,300km south-east of Moscow. The 57-year-old man said he bought them from a truck driver to heat his home.

The rifles, produced in 1959-1960, were en route to a recycling plant from Izhmash, one of the country’s oldest arms manufacturers, the company said.