The State Duma discussed a proposal to place advertising on spaceships

Wednesday’s State Duma meeting was marked by a heated discussion of the initiative allowing Roscosmos into the advertising market. The idea of ​​allowing state-owned companies to sell their terrestrial and outer space for public use without a competition and thereby place “you don’t understand what” there outraged the opposition factions. However, representatives of United Russia firmly stood their ground: if the space industry does not have enough money (due to factors related to the international situation), then all extra-budgetary funds are good. The draft was eventually adopted in the first reading, but it is expected to be finalized by the second reading.

The fifth item on the agenda of the plenary meeting of the State Duma on March 27 caused such a heated discussion that the speaker Denis Kravchenko (United Russia), who clearly did not expect such resistance, looked slightly discouraged. At first glance, there was really nothing to discuss: United Russia presented his colleagues with a bill allowing Roscosmos to enter into contracts for advertising on space technology, as well as on “space infrastructure” objects (in other words, on departmental real estate).

The authors of the project (senators and deputies from different factions) proposed to assign the authority to select the customer, approve the terms, amount and conditions of payments to the government. Mr. Kravchenko promised to eliminate the comments received regarding the lack of a competitive procedure and, as a result, the visible opacity of the mechanism, by the second reading. “You know very well that the corporation is in difficult conditions today, taking into account sanctions pressure, exclusion from competitions for international contracts,” United Russia said, apparently already anticipating trouble. “We are looking for sources of income, additional extra-budgetary sources that can be directed to scientific research and improvement of the corporation’s base.” The amount of one such contract, the authors suggest, can reach 200 million rubles.

“The bill proposes to conclude an agreement for advertising placement without holding a tender. And why?” — Oleg Leonov (“New People”) asked gently. The speaker explained that the authors “did not lay down procedures for the first reading” because “conflicts may arise from the point of view of the advertiser and those in whose interests the launches are carried out.” But he repeated that the issue would be worked out in the future, especially since the government made a similar remark.

Deputies from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation cared little about competitive procedures, but they were outraged by the concept itself. “The introduction of such a law shows, generally speaking, to what extent we have sunk! For the sake of 200 unfortunate millions, it means that we are passing such a law!” — Renat Suleymanov was indignant, wondering if there were other ways to attract extra-budgetary money for space. “At least from the explanatory note we finally learned where Russian banks will invest their profits – they will buy advertising on rockets. But it’s hard to understand who will see it in the galaxy,” Olga Alimova said ironically. “What else will they advertise?” Mortgage, soda, diapers?

“It would be strange to place advertisements for gaskets or something else on a spaceship,” thought Andrei Kuznetsov in the same vein (“A Just Russia – For the Truth!”). However, he and other Socialist Revolutionaries were again more concerned about the lack of competitive procedures: Andrei Kuznetsov himself, Valery Hartung, Oleg Nilov, and Anatoly Lisitsyn attacked the speaker with relevant questions. “Don’t you think that the criminal purpose of one of these amendments is to allow another structure to avoid bidding?” – Mr. Lisitsyn aggravated the problem as much as possible. “I don’t think so,” snapped Denis Kravchenko. “Give us more detailed answers, or we will repeat the questions in our speeches!” – Oleg Nilov threatened him. He was also outraged by the use of state property as an “advertising medium”: “What other federal property should we use? The Kremlin, the State Duma, the Federation Council? This is not funny: these are symbols of the state, and you propose to put them up for auction!”

Mr. Kravchenko, in response, again recalled the difficult situation of our cosmonautics, meticulously calculated the income from potential contracts, promised to provide for at least some kind of competition with amendments to the second reading – in general, he tried to hold the line as best he could. But at the end of the discussion he could not stand it and complained: “Listen, you are doing good, making improvements, giving a state-owned company the right and opportunity to attract extra-budgetary funds… And some incomprehensible questions arise!”

However, United Russia failed to convince its opponents: even the presence of Socialist Revolutionary Mikhail Delyagin among the authors of the project did not help, as Denis Kravchenko recalled at the end of the discussion. “There are few problems at Roscosmos, have you got free time, hands and heads to become experts in the advertising business?” – Oleg Nilov continued to press anyway. “Whose pocket will the money from this advertising go into is not an idle question,” Valery Hartung echoed him. “We are opening Pandora’s box!” – another Socialist Revolutionary Igor Ananskikh prophesied gloomily. “Sergei Pavlovich Korolev and Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin would be very surprised!” – Communist Renat Suleymanov appealed to the behests of his ancestors.

“You know, all these decades we have done nothing to attract extra-budgetary funds to finance space programs,” supported the deputy chairman of the committee on economic policy Artem Kiryanov (ER). “Let’s give the Russian space industry the opportunity to raise additional funds.” As a result, deputies supported the bill in the first reading with 327 votes, 30 against and 4 abstentions.

Grigory Leiba