Russia is always proud of its space programs.
The head of the space program Roscosmos Igor Kamarov announced that the cost of the projects has been changed and got higher. It is all connected with negative impact of the economy. The conditions had been distorted because of the changes in exchange rates, inflation and other economic negative impacts that come from Western sanctions and low oil prices. The country needs to cut cost of many sectors of economy. In its turn Roscosmos is also forced to give up several projects such as heavy rockets that can reach beyond the Earth’s orbit. Despite the reduction of the space program budget President Vladimir Putin announced that the space program is one of the country’s priorities. President also mentioned that the country is planning to have its own space station in Earth’s orbit by 2023. The program about to send a manned flight around the moon by 2025 and to land on the moon by 2029 is still being discussed in Russia.
Vostochny is Russia's main cosmodrome, but it is still under construction. According to the Russian President cosmodrome’s construction is under his personally control. Vostochny was originally scheduled to be finished at the end of this year and the first manned missions should start in 2018.