posted 01-14-2016 11:15 AM               

Editor-in-chief Igor Marinin wrote in an editorial:

Because of the international sanctions against Russia, falling oil prices and a drop in gas sales, which have caused a general decline in production in the country, and also because reforms in the space industry are taking much longer than they should, the magazine has stopped receiving any financial support not only from the magazine's owners, but also from the industry's enterprises. Since the budget for the Federal Space Program 2016-2025 has been cut almost in half, the enterprises are forced to economize on everything, and can no longer support the magazine by buying copies, ordering articles and placing advertisements in the magazine.

In a last-ditch effort to rescue the magazine, they recently sent letters to Dmitriy Rogozin (the deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry), MPs of the State Duma, cosmonauts, managers of all space enterprises and to the president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

However, Rogozin did nothing more than forward the letter to Roscosmos chief Igor Komarov. There was no response from Duma deputies, "who have gone on vacation." Managers of space enterprises either did not respond or said they have no money for PR.

Many veteran cosmonauts called to offer advice and one (who wished to remain anonymous) was even prepared to donate 1 million rubles from his own savings, "but even one million won't save NK," Marinin says.

They were hopeful that there would be a more positive response from the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, "but even among Russian millionaires there is not a single patriot willing to save the country's only and the world's best non-commercial space news journal, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary in August 2016."