My profile:
President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree promoting Space Forces chief Vladimir Popovkin and replacing him with a career officer, a Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
Popovkin, 50, was tapped to become Defense Ministry's armament chief with the rank of deputy defense minister, ministry spokesman Ilshat Baichurin said, Interfax reported.
Medvedev appointed Oleg Ostapenko to replace Popovkin as head of the Space Forces, Baichurin said.
Ostapenko, 51, had commanded the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, where he had replaced an acting commander fired last year by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov following the beating death of a soldier at the facility.
Ostapenko served as first deputy chief of staff with the Space Forces in 2004 before entering the elite Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
Popovkin replaces former armament chief Nikolai Makarov, who was appointed head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces last month.
Popovkin's new post is the highest ever occupied by a career Space Forces officer.
Popovkin Appointed Space Forces Chief
04 July 2008
The Moscow Times
Discussion
Comments
To post comments you must be registered
Comments via Facebook
Most Read
1.
Report: United Russia Might Be Dismantled
United Russia, the country's dominant political party for more than a decade, might be radically reformed or even dissolved in the coming months.
2.
Moscow Is Unlovable and Unlivable
Today's Moscow is unlovable and unlivable, overdeveloped, underserved by public utilities and choked by traffic. You can't drive, you can't breathe, there is no place to park and walking is impossible thanks to giant SUVs lining the sidewalks.
3.
Putin Aide: Corruption Was 'Civilized'
Corruption in Russia was "normal" and "civilized" during Vladimir Putin's first stint as president and support for him has grown stronger as a result of recent opposition rallies, the prime minister's campaign manager has boasted.
4.
Kremlin's Youth Agency Resembles Cosa Nostra
In the Internet age, the famous aphorism of the 19th-century military theorist Karl von Clausewitz, "War is the continuation of policy by other means," may no longer be applicable.
5.
Woman Ignites Herself
A 56-year-old woman from the Urals set herself on fire in front of the White House on Sunday, two weeks after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited her region for a rally supporting his presidential bid.
6.
Houston's Death Felt In Russia
Russians joined the world Sunday in mourning the death of singer and actress Whitney Houston, who passed away suddenly at the age of 48.
7.
Venerable Oil Fields Require Ingenuity
The engineer leaned back knee-deep in snow, straining against the taut elastic and released the unmanned drone into the western Siberian sky.
8.
Police Chief Sacked In Reform Shake-Up
The head of the St. Petersburg police was sacked following an investigation into the beating death of a 15-year-old boy while in custody, amid an ugly power struggle that came to head at the annual meeting of police brass with President Dmitry Medvedev.
9.
Ryabkov: It's the West's Fault
Russia said Friday that the West is stoking the conflict in Syria by sending weapons to opponents of President Bashar Assad.
10.
U.S. Commerce Reshuffle Could Benefit Russia
The U.S. Commercial Service is sending more trade officers to Russia as part of an effort to help American companies gain more business in fast-growing markets, as it reduces staff in slower-growing markets.
1.
Putin Stand-In Faces Zhirinovsky Fire
In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky harangued Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's levelheaded proxy over her patron's refusal to debate and alleged desire to rule for life.
2.
Pro-Putin Song Is Web Hit
A schmaltzy music video hailing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as Russia's savior became a hit on the Russian Internet on Tuesday, with many bloggers and YouTube users poking fun at the song's hyperbolic lyrics.
3.
Lavrov in Syria to Strongly Back Assad
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, sending a clear message that Russia intends to stand by its strongest ally in the Middle East amid an international outcry over the country's response to a civil revolt.
4.
Putin Chasing Imaginary American Ghosts
Here we go again — another round of anti-Americanism from the Kremlin and state-controlled media. Blaming outside forces for Russia's woes has a long history in the country. The closer we get to the March 4 presidential election, the more intense the anti-American hysteria becomes.
5.
Malev Goes Bankrupt Owing $130M to VEB
Hungary's state airline Malev stopped flying after 66 years on Friday, citing bankruptcy, amid debts to creditors that include 100 million euros ($130 million) owed to VEB.
6.
McCain Taunts Putin Over Protests
U.S. Senator John McCain has again angered supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by describing Russia's nascent protest movement as an extension of the Arab Spring uprisings that have shaken and toppled governments across the Middle East.
7.
Campaign Mudslinging Taken to New Lows
If politics is a dirty business, then Russia is no exception.
8.
FSB Upgrades from iPads to Pricey Typewriters
The Federal Security Service paid over 2 million rubles ($67,000) for an order of nearly 100 typewriters, or about 22,000 rubles per machine.
9.
Realpolitik Without Realism
People have been asking me all week why the Kremlin is so stubbornly supportive of Syrian President Bashar Assad. "Is Russia's support based solely on weapons contracts with Syria," they wonder, "or the Kremlin's desire to maintain its naval base at the Tartus port?"
10.
The Truth About Gary Powers, a Cold War Hero
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the famous spy exchange between U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers and Soviet spy Rudolph Able on the Glienicker Bridge in Potsdam, Germany.
1.
Election Webcam Installation Begins
In a city that was once the cradle of Russian democracy, an unprecedented new campaign kicked off over the weekend to install web cameras in every polling station around the country in an effort to prevent voting fraud.
2.
Feminist Punk Band Become Unlikely Putin Foil
Pussy Riot, a feminist punk collective from Moscow, creates protest through its dissident songs and unsanctioned performances, including a brief unauthorized concert in late January on Red Square.
3.
Why Putin Will Never, Ever Give Up Power
If Putin gave up power at any age, he and dozens of his friends and colleagues who have become millionaires and billionaires over the past 10 years through their Kremlin-connected businesses could face serious corruption charges. This is why the best, and perhaps only, way for Putin to preserve immunity is to stay in power until death.
4.
Why Putin Is Mad at Me
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin got very angry last Wednesday when he met with the editors-in-chief of Russia's top media outlets.
5.
Russia Seeks Proof U.S. Zapped Failed Probe
A Russian state commission investigating the crash of the Fobos-Grunt Mars probe will conduct tests to see whether U.S. radar played a role in the spacecraft's failure.
6.
Recruiters Say Mother Russia Seeking Talent
Demographics make it a candidate’s market, but foreigners have to offer something unique to find their place.
7.
Putin Stand-In Faces Zhirinovsky Fire
In Tuesday's second presidential debate of the campaign season, firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky harangued Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's levelheaded proxy over her patron's refusal to debate and alleged desire to rule for life.
8.
From Protest to Nausea
The history of successive authoritarian regimes in Russia reveals a recurring pattern: They do not die from external blows or domestic insurgencies.
9.
Why Putin Is So Scared of Debates
Putin has always been the ultimate "Teflon president" — but certainly not in the Ronald Reagan sense of the word. Putin's brand of Teflon is clearly made in Russia. Because he wants to avoid uncomfortable questions about his decade-long rule, Putin is once again refusing to participate in presidential debates.
10.
U.K. Spy Rock Confirmation May Boost Putin
A former British official has acknowledged that London spied on Moscow with a fake rock that contained electronic equipment, confirming Russian intelligence claims from 2006 that were mocked but gave Vladimir Putin justification to crack down on nongovernmental organizations.
