Indeed, the Russian military was explicitly trying to develop a weapon like the 44. First they developed the 7.62x39 cartridge and then developed a weapon to us

Indeed, the Russian military was explicitly trying to develop a weapon like the 44. First they developed the 7.62x39 cartridge and then developed a weapon to use it. Kalashnikov had been working on a sub machine gun design and then adapted it (redesign really) to the new cartridge.