Viktor Afanasyev Status: Retired 12/31/1948 – Nationality: Russian Type: Government Agency: Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Viktor Mikhailovich Afanasyev Russian: Виктор Михайлович Афанасьев; born 31 December 1948) is a colonel in the Russian Air Force and a test cosmonaut of the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.