Last Friday, a three-man crew of Russian cosmonauts successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russia’s Soyuz rocket. But the cosmonauts, dressed in yellow-blue spacesuits reflecting the colors of the Ukrainian flag, sparked controversy.
There were two other cosmonauts, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov, in the Roscosmos team that went to the ISS under the leadership of Oleg Artemyev. The sighting of team leader Artemyev wearing a yellow-blue flight suit during his entry to the ISS sparked great controversy on Twitter. Is this outfit the space agency’s choice or Russia’s protest?
Russian cosmonauts referencing Ukraine with their clothes?
The Russian crew to the International Space Station is the first team sent to the ISS since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia, which has had problems in space with its Western partners before, may be sending over new ISS suits.
Team leader Oleg Artemyev made a statement about the outfit after entering the Space Station. Artemyev, who said that each crew chose their own flight suit colors, did not mention whether it was related to Ukraine or not:
“It’s our turn to choose a color. But we actually had accumulated a lot of yellow material, so we had to use it. That’s why we had to wear yellow.”
However, it should not be forgotten that Russia is in disinformation in every field related to the occupation of Ukraine. Previously, Russian-based state channels interpreted the Ukrainian invasion as a “special military operation” and showed the military operation heroically. President Putin’s latest move has spilled over into space suits.
Ukrainian Parliament, which said that Russia has launched a new disinformation over space suits Its member Roman Hryshchuk urged ISS partners to do something about it:
“Russian cosmonauts in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. This is another trick of Russian propaganda. They really need the world media to believe that only Putin needs war, so they continue to bombard civilians while making up fairy tales.”
The arrival of Russian cosmonauts Artemyev, Matveev and Korsakov to the ISS marks the beginning of Roscosmos’ six-month mission in space. The cosmonauts are scheduled to return to Earth with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei on March 30.
What do you think about the clothes in the color of the Ukrainian flag preferred by Russian cosmonauts? Do not forget to share your views with us in the comments section or on the SDN Forum.
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