The semi-automatic Makarov, named after its designer, was introduced into the armed forces of the former Soviet Union in 1951. Later a number of countries in the Warsaw Pact adopted this model as an ordinance pistol for police and miliary use.

Like the original, this CO₂ model has a single and double action system. It has all the operating elements and a movable slide. All the important parts of this sturdily built CO₂ pistol are made entirely of metal: frame, slide and exterior operating elements.