MOSCOW -- Cosmonaut 3rd Class Sergei Krikalev, stuck in a space station as an orbiting hostage to budget problems on the ground in Russia, returned on Wednesday to a bewilderingly different country than he left 10 months ago.

The cosmonaut, who was blasted into space 313 days ago by the former Soviet Union, landed in Kazakhstan, one of the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States that was formed in December.

The 34-year-old flight engineer appeared dizzy and had to be helped from his spacecraft by soldiers.

While he was circling the Earth in the Mir space station, the Soviet Union fought off a coup, changed leaders and went out of existence.

Nicknamed the "space victim" and "the man who is sick of flying" by the media while he waited to be returned to Earth, Krikalev has been compared to science fiction characters who suddenly find themselves catapulted into a new century.

Even his home town changed its name while he was in space-from Leningrad to St. Petersburg.

Scheduled to return in October, Krikalev spun around the Earth 16 times a day while economic, territorial and bureaucratic battles raged below.

With the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia and Kazakhstan began to fight over how to administer the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's government tried to charge massive fees for use of the space complex, and Russia -- already strapped for money -- worked out a deal to launch the first Kazakh cosmonaut in return for easier access to the cosmodrome and the atmosphere above it.

The agreement, however, caused another delay, because the Kazakh cosmonaut was not experienced enough to replace Krikalev as flight engineer.

Financial problems also forced a delay in Krikalev's retrieval from space. Glavkosmos, the Russian space agency, has been selling space rides to other countries to raise money, and could barely afford to send supplies the 240 miles outside the Earth's atmosphere to keep Krikalev and other cosmonauts well-fed.

Designed to house up to 12 cosmonauts, the huge Mir station has been manned almost continuously since 1986 and was the focal point of the Soviet space program.

Some experts say the station is nearing the end of its usefulness and must be either modernized or destroyed.

Landing with Krikalev on Wednesday were cosmonaut Alexander Volkov, who arrived at the station in October, and a German air force officer, who was sent aloft last week with the Russian cosmonauts who replaced their colleagues on the space station.

Krikalev, whose stay fell short of the 366-day record set by cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov in 1989, was given smelling salts after landing but was later said to be feeling "marvelous."

COSMONAUT FINDS HIS NEW HOME

Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who lived in a Soviet space station for the past 11 months, returned to Earth Wednesday. His country, no longer exists. Other changes during his mission:

1991

May 18: Krikalev blasts off from Kazakhstan

June 12: Boris Yelsin elected president of Russia

June 25: Yuugoslav republics, Slovenia, Croatia declare independence

Aug. 19: Soviet coup attempted; Communist Party begins to collapse

Sept. 6: Soviet Union recognizes independent Baltic states

Dec. 8: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine from Commonwealth of Independent States to replace U.S.S.R.; 11 republics join

Dec. 25: Soviet Union disbands; Gorbachev resigns

1992

Jan. 2: Russia removes state subsidies; prices soar

March 5.: U.N. admits 8 new countries from former U.S.S.R.

SOURCE: Facts on File: Research by WENDY GOVIER, KRT