Space Forces Chief on Funding, Baykonur

This document is a transcript of an interview conducted by D. Makarov with V. Ivanov, the commander of the Military Space Forces, published in the Russian newspaper ARGUMENTY I FAKTY in April 1993. The primary focus of the interview is the status of the Russian Military Space Forces following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ivanov discusses the logistical and political challenges of maintaining space infrastructure, such as the Baykonur launch site, which is now located in Kazakhstan. He details the distribution of command-measurement complexes across former Soviet republics, including Ukraine and Uzbekistan, and the ongoing negotiations required to maintain these assets. Ivanov also addresses the budgetary constraints facing the Military Space Forces, noting that they rank third in priority within the Ministry of Defense, behind the Navy and Air Force. Toward the end of the interview, the discussion shifts to the topic of UFOs. Ivanov recounts a personal anecdote from his time as the chief of a space vehicle launching site, where a general reported data on unidentified objects. He notes that these observations often coincided with launches from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. He further describes an incident approximately five years prior to the interview, where three objects were observed at high altitude near Baykonur and were clearly visible on radar. Ivanov concludes by stating that while he is interested in the problem and cannot deny the possibility of the existence of UFOs, the nature of these objects remains unknown.