Russia ridicules reports that ISS crew in yellow supports Ukraine
STORY: Three Russian cosmonauts arrived safely at the International Space Station on Friday, and were warmly welcomed by four Americans, two Russians and a German crewmate already aboard.
But it was the color of the Russian crew's uniforms that caught the eye of Western observers - were the brightly colored yellow and blue outfits a supportive nod to the Ukranian flag?
Russia’s space agency Roscosmos on Saturday said...no.
On its Telegram channel, its press service said bluntly, “Sometimes yellow is just yellow.”
Director-general Dmitry Rogozin was more acerbic on his personal Telegram channel saying that Russian cosmonauts had no sympathy for Ukrainian nationalists.
In a live-streamed news conference from the ISS on Friday after three Russian cosmonauts docked there, mission commander Oleg Artemyev was asked about the suits.
"Every crew pick the suits, overalls, on their own accord, so that they don't all look the same, different. Now it was our turn to pick the color. The truth is, we had accumulated a lot of yellow material, so we needed to use it up. That's why we had to wear yellow flight suits."
Russian mission control responded…
"Great. Our congratulations. They look wonderful.”
Rogozin has suggested that U.S. sanctions imposed in response to the invasion could destroy ISS teamwork and lead to the space station falling out of orbit.
Russia invaded Ukraine, which has a blue and yellow flag, on Feb. 24. The ensuing fighting has killed thousands of people, devastated parts of cities and caused more than 3 million Ukrainians to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.
Officials at the U.S. space agency, NASA, have said U.S. and Russian crew members are aware of events on Earth but that their work has not been affected by geopolitical tensions.
