Three Russian cosmonauts were seen at the International Space Station dressed in Ukraine-themed flight suits early Saturday morning.
The cosmonauts are the first group to arrive at the International Space Station since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to The Associated Press (AP). They were pictured in yellow flight suits with blue accents as they docked their spacecraft at the station.
Three Russian astronauts launched to the International Space Station early Friday wearing yellow and blue flight suits, similar to the colors of Ukraine’s flag. They did not say anything that would suggest that their clothing was a political statement. https://t.co/I9E4pljmO9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 19, 2022
The flight suits are the same colors as the Ukrainian flag.
Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev said every crew gets to choose their own flight suits, the AP reported.
“It became our turn to pick a color. But in fact, we had accumulated a lot of yellow material so we needed to use it,” Artemyev said, reported the AP. “So that’s why we had to wear yellow.”
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is expected to leave the International Space Station March 30 with two Russians aboard a Russian capsule, the AP reported. Vande Hei broke the record for the longest spaceflight Tuesday by spending more than 340 days in space. (RELATED: Putin Wants Russia To Re-Enter The Space Race)
Russia’s invasion into Ukraine beginning Feb. 24 has canceled spacecraft flights and also broken Russia’s space contracts, reported the AP.