Assembly of assault rifles with help from Russia being done for defence purposes, Venezuelan president says

Venezuela has begun to assemble Kalashnikov assault rifles with help from Russia, and started producing surveillance drones, Hugo Chávez has said.

General Julio Cesar Morales Prieto, president of Venezuela's state-run arms producer, said 3,000 AK-103 assault rifles had been assembled since Venezuela and Russia signed the 2005 agreement for the construction of a Kalashnikov assembly factory.

The production has begun despite the factory not yet being completed, Morales Prieto said. It will have the capacity to produce 25,000 rifles a year.

Chávez, a former paratroop commander, said on Wednesday that Venezuela had also started making grenades, ammunition and surveillance drones. Three drones had been built so far.

"We do not have any intentions of attacking anybody," he said. "These projects are for defence, for peace."

Chávez, whose anti-US stance has been a defining feature of his 13-year presidency, has repeatedly warned that America could invade Venezuela to seize control of its immense oil reserves. He has often used vehement condemnations of American "imperialism" to appeal to his supporters' nationalist sentiments.

Chávez's political opponents have strongly criticised the government for spending billions of dollars to buy and produce weapons, saying the money should instead be used to build schools and infrastructure.

Venezuela has spent billions of dollars on Russian arms and military aircraft since 2005, including 24 Sukhoi fighter jets, dozens of attack helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles.

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