I don’t think the author of the article has correctly interpreted the sanction. It only seems to apply to products in which Kalashnikov still has an interest, such as a rifle bought from Kalashnikov on consignment. As I read it, if the rifle is fully owned by a private citizen, the sanction does not apply.
Yes, he got it wrong. It applies to the Russian companies, not us.
There are many non-Russian AKs on the market. The Bulgarians make some very nice rifles (Arsenal) and even Century Arms makes a good rifle in the Centurion 39. The Czechs have a cool AK-but not an AK VZ-58.
I’m sure we’ll see Saigas, VEPRs, and other AKs imported from another country from a shell company.