It was only inevitable that trying to keep up with Russian rifle platforms lead down the rabbit hole to their newest general infantry rifle, the AK-12.
After a protracted production, testing, and prototyping period, the AK-12 entered service in 2018. Numerous Russian military units have already received thousands of this most recent gun. The military of the US and the Russian Federation have always competed to field the most lethal contemporary infantry rifles. With the AK-12, the Russian military entered the world of the contemporary carbine. The long-stroke, gas-operated mechanism that has long made the AK such a terror on the battlefield is present inside the AK-12. It is a simple but effective close-bolt air-cooled device.
Source: https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/russias-answer-to-the-m4-breaking-down-the-new-ak-12/
