A French citizen and a German citizen have been detained near the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Russian state media reported, citing a source in the security services.
It is claimed that the foreigners were detained when they “tried to take pictures of the launch vehicle.”
The names of the detainees and other details are not given in the report.
Foreign tourists are periodically detained near Baikonur. In May 2022, a British man Benjamin Rich was detained near the cosmodrome, who, according to him, went to see the Buran spacecraft (he was later released with a fine). In September 2023, three Spanish tourists were detained near the cosmodrome, according to the Baza Telegram channel; in July 2024, three more European tourists were detained; and in June 2024, Russian media wrote that a Frenchman trying to enter Baikonur died of dehydration.