"The information disseminated by some media sources is outdated and incorrect," Roskosmos spokesperson Vyacheslav Davidenko told RIA Novosti.
"In reality, two weeks ago, interior ministry operatives found two CIS citizens on the territory of the space center. One of them was an Uzbek national. These people were searching for pieces of non-ferrous alloys. They were detained and did not have anything to do with direct activities of the center," Mr. Davidenko stated.
He underlined that the territory of the space center, and especially the launch pad and the infrastructure involved in rocket launches were heavily guarded, and during the entire existence of the space center not a single case of unauthorized entry on the territory of the facility had been registered.
At the same time, the Kazakh migration police officials told RIA Novosti, "two Afghani and a Pakistani citizens were detained on the territory of the space center on March 4. They infiltrated the facility in order to gather pieces of non-ferrous alloys." According to the source in the migration police, there were also two Kazakh citizens among the detainees who attempted to gather scrap metal on the territory of the Baikonur space center.
According to the police, all detained foreigners had Kazakh entry visas, but did not possess special permits to visit the Baikonur space center. In accordance with the Decree # 153 of the Kazakh government, the Baikonur space center is considered a restricted area and foreigners are not allowed to visit the facility.
