Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 18, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
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Putin appoints Yuri Borisov as space envoy, replacing Sergei Krikalev, amid challenges in Russia's space program.
(Reuters) - Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday appointed the former head of Russia's space agency, Yuri Borisov, as special presidential representative for international space cooperation.
Borisov had headed Roscosmos since July 2022 in a tenure marked by the failure of a Russian moon mission and was relieved of his post earlier this month. No reason was given.
A presidential decree announced his appointment as Putin's special representative. He replaced Sergei Krikalev, a highly decorated cosmonaut who took part in six missions.
Russia has prided itself as a leading power in space since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to go into space in 1961.
But under Borisov's mandate, an uncrewed Luna-25 spacecraft crashed onto the surface of the moon as it attempted to land. It was Moscow's first mission to the moon in 47 years.
As head of Roscosmos, Borisov had set ambitious plans for the coming years as Russia prepares to launch its own orbital space station - to replace the ageing International Space Station (ISS).
Borisov was replaced as head of Roscosmos by Deputy Transport Minister Dmitry Bakanov, who before joining the government had been in charge of a satellite company.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Vladimir Putin appointed Yuri Borisov, the former head of Russia's space agency, as the special presidential representative for international space cooperation.
During Borisov's tenure, an uncrewed Luna-25 spacecraft crashed onto the moon's surface while attempting to land, marking a significant failure for Russia's space program.
Yuri Borisov replaced Sergei Krikalev, a highly decorated cosmonaut who participated in six missions.
Under Borisov's leadership, ambitious plans were set for Russia to launch its own orbital space station to replace the aging International Space Station (ISS).
Dmitry Bakanov, the Deputy Transport Minister, succeeded Borisov as the head of Roscosmos.
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