Kirill Peskov

Born in Kyzyl, in what was then known as the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Peskov graduated from School No. 14 in Nazarovo in 2007. He then enrolled at the Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation, specializing in Flight Operation of Aircraft. In 2012, he earned an engineering degree in Flight Operations of Aircraft from the Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation and received the military rank of Lieutenant in the reserve forces of the Russian Air Force. Peskov began his professional aviation career in 2012 as a first officer with Nordwind Airlines, piloting Boeing 757 aircraft based out of Sheremetyevo Airport. until his selection as a cosmonaut candidate in 2018. == Cosmonaut selection and training ==

In March 2017, Peskov applied to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center's recruitment program. After receiving clearance from the medical commission in April 2018, he was officially selected as a cosmonaut candidate in August. In early 2019, Peskov participated in winter survival training, simulating emergency landings in forested and marshy areas alongside his fellow cosmonaut candidates. The following year, in July 2021, he participated in a two-day desert survival exercise, preparing for potential spacecraft landings in harsh, arid environments. == Roscosmos career ==

In May 2023, Peskov was assigned as the backup for Aleksandr Gorbunov on SpaceX Crew-9, part of a crew swap agreement between Roscosmos and NASA to maintain a continuous presence on the International Space Station (ISS). At the same time, he was training as a flight engineer for the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, which was slated to carry cosmonauts to the ISS for Expedition 73. == References ==