Putin changes Russian space chief

The president has picked the former head of a satellite communications project to lead Roscosmos

Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced the head of the national space agency, Roscosmos.

Two presidential decrees published on Thursday ordered the dismissal of Yury Borisov from his role as Roscosmos director and appointed Deputy Transport Minister Dimitry Bakanov as his replacement. The Kremlin did not immediately give a reason for the rotation.

Borisov (68) took the job as the head of the Russian space agency in July 2022. Prior to that he served as deputy prime minister. His previous jobs in the government were related to defense and industry.

Bakanov (39), an economist by background, headed one of Roscosmos’ subsidiaries, the operator of the Gonets low-orbit satellite communication system, before getting a job in the Russian government in 2019. In his capacity as deputy transport minister, he was responsible for implementing digital innovations to Russian logistic infrastructure.