BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/, June 2. /TASS/. The West’s sanctions imposed on Russia over the situation in Ukraine did not affect the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan leased by Moscow, Head of the local administration Konstantin Busygin told TASS on Thursday.

"No, they [the West’s anti-Russia sanctions] are not in effect against us because Baikonur is a territorial entity of the Republic of Kazakhstan," he said.

The Baikonur space complex includes the town of Baikonur and the eponymous spaceport that is unique: an entity where Russian law is in effect exists on the territory of another state. By its status, Baikonur is a town of federal significance, he stressed.

"But we do not live in a vacuum. When the ruble plummeted, local prices also soared and businessmen began to offer a double price tag. The commercial department that is in charge of these issues managed to explain to entrepreneurs the need to comply with the existing legislation," Busygin said.

As the head of the Baikonur administration noted, the prices were on the rise for about a week, following which they returned to average statistical figures. At the same time, residents of the town of Baikonur can watch only those new films that are shown in Russia because the town’s movie theater is registered on behalf of Russian official agencies, he said.

Baikonur residents are celebrating Town Day on June 2. The compound that comprises the spaceport and the eponymous town was leased out to Russia for a term of 20 years under an agreement signed by Russian and Kazakh Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Nursultan Nazarbayev on March 28, 1994 and the lease agreement of December 10, 1994. In 2004, the lease was extended to 2050 (with an annual rental payment of $115 million).