05-24-2022, 12:40 PM
Remember, the admins are not responsible for any deals that go awry.
https://www.supercluster.com/editorial/t...pace-plane
Half disassembled, it sits abandoned and rotting in a hangar in the middle of the Kazakh Steppe. And the Soviet Union’s last spaceplane is owned, not by Russia or Kazakhstan, but by Dauren Musa, a Kazakh Billionaire who is willing to trade it — for the skull of Kazakhstan’s last Khan. To understand how we got here, we need to delve deeper into the development of the Buran program, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
This brings us back to the story of a 200-year-old skull. When the ownership of the spaceplane seemingly settled in Musa’s favor, he initially didn’t want to give it back. But in September of last year, reports emerged that Musa would trade the spaceplane to Moscow — in exchange for the skull of Kazakhstan’s last Khan, Kenesary Kasymov.
From 1837 to 1847 Kasymov led forces during the 10-year struggle against the invasion of Kazakhstan by the Russian Empire. He was eventually killed by a rival khanate, who then sent his severed head to Russia. His skull remains a tense topic between Kazakhstan and the modern Russian state. Over the years, several Kazakh leaders have asked for it to be returned.
Musa remains adamant. In a recent interview, he escalated his rhetoric. Emphasizing Buran’s value as a bargaining chip, he described it as “the most valuable Russian artifact in Kazakhstan.”
https://www.supercluster.com/editorial/t...pace-plane
Half disassembled, it sits abandoned and rotting in a hangar in the middle of the Kazakh Steppe. And the Soviet Union’s last spaceplane is owned, not by Russia or Kazakhstan, but by Dauren Musa, a Kazakh Billionaire who is willing to trade it — for the skull of Kazakhstan’s last Khan. To understand how we got here, we need to delve deeper into the development of the Buran program, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
This brings us back to the story of a 200-year-old skull. When the ownership of the spaceplane seemingly settled in Musa’s favor, he initially didn’t want to give it back. But in September of last year, reports emerged that Musa would trade the spaceplane to Moscow — in exchange for the skull of Kazakhstan’s last Khan, Kenesary Kasymov.
From 1837 to 1847 Kasymov led forces during the 10-year struggle against the invasion of Kazakhstan by the Russian Empire. He was eventually killed by a rival khanate, who then sent his severed head to Russia. His skull remains a tense topic between Kazakhstan and the modern Russian state. Over the years, several Kazakh leaders have asked for it to be returned.
Musa remains adamant. In a recent interview, he escalated his rhetoric. Emphasizing Buran’s value as a bargaining chip, he described it as “the most valuable Russian artifact in Kazakhstan.”
