Russia Wraps Up 2025 AK12 Rifle Production as Upgraded Assault Weapons Reach Frontline Units.

Russia has delivered all 2025 AK12 and AK12K rifles to its Ministry of Defense, marking the close of its current small arms contracts. The move highlights how Moscow is pushing to refresh infantry weapons as the war in Ukraine continues to strain its industrial base.

On November 24, 2025, Kalashnikov Concern announced it had fulfilled the 2025 state contract for production of 5.45 mm AK-12 assault rifles of the 2023 model, delivering all weapons on schedule to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The company also confirmed that a separate order for the shortened AK-12K carbine, developed specifically for assault and reconnaissance units, has been completed for the same period. Russian outlets emphasized that the deliveries close all active contracts for the AK-12 family and cement the rifle’s place as the primary individual weapon within the Ratnik soldier modernization program.
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The AK-12 assault rifle features a long-stroke gas piston system, improved barrel stability, and full-length optic rails, offering greater accuracy, enhanced ergonomics, and reliable 5.45x39 mm performance for Russian infantry in trench, urban, and night-fighting conditions (Picture source: Kalashnikov Group).

The AK-12 remains a classic Kalashnikov at its core. It is a gas-operated, long-stroke piston rifle with a locked rotating bolt, chambered in 5.45×39 mm and built around a 415 mm barrel. Standard service rifles weigh roughly 3.5 kg empty, measure about 922 mm with the stock extended and 688 mm folded, and fire at approximately 700 rounds per minute with muzzle velocity approaching 900 m/s. The production design derived from the AK-400 prototype features a stiffer receiver cover and an improved handguard interface that effectively free-floats the barrel, giving the weapon greater practical accuracy than the AK-74M. Full-length Picatinny rail, M-LOK slots, polymer furniture, and an adjustable folding stock allow integration of optics, thermals, lasers, and grenade launchers in a way older Soviet rifles never supported.

The 2023 upgrade of the AK-12 incorporated a second wave of battlefield-driven modifications. Troops had long complained about the two-round burst mechanism, which increased mechanical complexity without improving effectiveness, leading engineers to revert to a simple two-position selector. A sturdier top-cover mounting system, all-weather diopter rear sight, refined cheek rest, and strengthened furniture addressed earlier deficiencies. The shift to a non-removable slotted flash suppressor remains more debated. It was introduced to solve repeated issues with suppressor fit and alignment on the front sight block, but at the cost of reducing compatibility with standard silencers and muzzle devices, a tradeoff that continues to draw mixed reactions within the Russian military.

The AK-12K carbine, meanwhile, is intended for airborne, reconnaissance, and assault troops who require improved handling in confined spaces. Built around the same 5.45 mm action but fitted with a 290 mm barrel, the carbine reduces length to around 810 mm and maintains weight at roughly 3.4 kg. The shorter profile enhances maneuverability in trenches, armored vehicles, and urban interiors, where full-length rifles are cumbersome. Russian assault formations have reported better balance and faster target transitions with the AK-12K, especially when equipped with red dot sights, lights, and laser designators during close-quarters engagements.

The history of the AK-12 helps illustrate why this latest delivery is strategically significant. Development began around 2011 at Izhmash, with early prototypes showcased in 2012 before the design was reworked into the AK-400 line that eventually evolved into the AK-12 and its 7.62×39 mm sibling, the AK-15. Official adoption under the Ratnik program occurred in 2018. Combat experience in Syria and later in Ukraine quickly exposed shortcomings in the first-generation rifles. Soldiers criticized fragile components, the problematic burst mechanism, and inconsistent ergonomics, prompting a major redesign that culminated in the 2023 upgrade now entering mass production.

The Ukrainian war has turned the AK-12 family into more than a routine service weapon. The pairing of the 5.45×39 mm cartridge’s flat trajectory with modern optics has tightened shot dispersion and improved suppressive fire in the broken terrain of trench networks and fortified lines. The AK-12K extends this advantage into close-quarters combat, providing airborne and assault units with a compact platform better suited for rapid movement under cover, vehicle operations, and short-range assaults. Despite lingering criticism, the rifles represent a notable improvement over Russia’s legacy AK-74 series, particularly in ergonomics and optical compatibility.

For Moscow, completing this year’s contracts under wartime industrial stress is as much a political signal as a military one. Kalashnikov has stated that AK-12 production now accounts for the majority of its small-arms output, and the company plans to increase capacity further as older rifles are withdrawn. As more Russian motorized rifle, naval infantry, and airborne units receive the latest AK-12 and AK-12K, the weapons will continue shaping how Russian forces fight and adapt in a battlefield dominated by drones, night-fighting sensors, and precision indirect fire.