Russia’s military establishments to step out of Baikonur by early 2012

According to the plan of activities of the Ministry of Defense of Russia the liquidation commission dealing with the disbandment of 11284 military division, is operating in Baikonur, Tengrinews.kz reports. The military division must be liquidated by the end of December. The officers serving in the division and attached to it, are being transferred to other military divisions of Russia’s space military establishments, mainly to Plesetsk space center, according to the sources in Baikonur. After 11284 military division is liquidated Baikonur will no longer have Russia’s military establishments, the source clarified. 11284 military division was formed on June 2, 1955 and was then known to the public as the Fifth Science and Research Training Ground of the USSR Military of Defense (NIIP-5). The military division #11284 was at Baikonur for almost half a century – it was the headquarters with the status of the rocket army with all the testing military divisions dislocated at Baikonur reporting to and bieng part of it. General lieutenant Alexei Nesterenko was appointed the first head of 11284 division. Other officers in command were Konstantin Gerchik, Alezandr Zaharov, Alexandr Kurushin, Valentin Fadeyev, Yuriy Sergunin, Yuriy Zhukov, Alexey Kryzhko, Alexey Shumilin, and Leonid Baranov. The combat banner of 11284 military division (already sent to Moscow) has three orders: The Order of the Combat Red Banner, The Order of Lenin and The Order of the October Revolution. These awards were given to the space base for first launches of R-7 transatlantic missiles and Yuriy Gagarin’s flight, also for the successful summer testing of other combat missiles and accomplishment of other space programs. After the collapse of the USSR new civil testing systems were formed. This process was gradually gathering momentum, and by the turn of the centuries the military at Baikonur had control of less than half of facilities. Continuing annual reduction of the11284 military division and further conversion led to no military supervision of space infrastructure and facilities. The military division was reformed into the 32 testing division of space military establishments of the Russian Federation and have existed as such over the past three years. Now the liquidation of this establishment is also under way. Some buildings earlier occupied by the military are handed over to the town authorities and “South” space center. Space base Baikonur has been rented by Russia since 1994. The rent term according to most recent agreement from both sides, will last till 2050. http://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/203667/