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On November 1, 1963, the Polyot-1 spacecraft, the first satellite capable of maneuvering in orbit, was launched from the Tyura-Tam firing range, now called the Baikonur Space Center, in Kazakhstan. Polyot-1, which was also capable of changing its altitude and orbital inclination, was, in fact, a prototype anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) system called Istrebitel Sputnikov (interceptor of satellites). On November 1, 1968, a similar spacecraft intercepted an orbital target for the first time.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, privately owned Russia-based multinational corporations, including producers of petroleum, natural gas, and metal have become oligarchs. Privatization allowed executives to amass phenomenal wealth and power almost overnight. In May 2004, the Russian edition of Forbes identified 36 of these oligarchs as being worth at least $1 billion.
Russia asked to buy the 21,300-tonne, Mistral class helicopter carrier to modernise hardware that was exposed as outdated during its five-day war against Georgia in 2008. After months of debate, France announced on Monday it would sell the vessel to Moscow.