Three weeks ago, photos coming out of the international space station at which a number of Russian astronauts had arrived prompted online discussions over whether or not they had planned "an act of defiance" against Russian authorities amid the invasion of Ukraine.
Three Russian cosmonauts just launched to the International Space Station on a Russian rocket, from Kazakhstan. The color scheme of their space attire as they came aboard the station is rather striking. pic.twitter.com/A3fA7SAlPV
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) March 18, 2022
Photos that were shared on the internet in mid-March 2022 featured three Russian astronauts who sported yellow and blue cosmonauts, largely interpreted then as an expression of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, as it matches the colors of Ukraine's flag.
However, the photos that were widely hailed as a "courageous rejection of the war" have once again made headlines after a Russian astronaut explained that he and his team had worn the blue and yellow spacesuits in recognition of the university they graduated from, that is Bauman Moscow State Technical University, where logos are mostly blue and yellow.
A NASA astronaut who returned from the ISS says his Russian counterparts were not making a pro-Ukraine statement with their blue and yellow spacesuits — rather those are the colors of the university they attended.https://t.co/YWT6K6nQKT
— NPR (@NPR) April 6, 2022
3 Russian Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov arrived at the International Space Station dressed in the colors of the Ukraine flag. Certainly, these brave people will face prosecution upon their return to Earth, that is, if there is an Earth to return to. pic.twitter.com/BLWn6u2bMX
— ?? ????? ???™ Comedy Books ?? (@donsmalley79) March 19, 2022
All three Russian astronauts have expressed extreme shock that the colors they wore sparked worldwide reactions.
On the 24th of February 2022, Russia launched its wide-scale military invasion into Ukrainian territories, announcing plans to "neutralize and disarm" the neighboring country that had been trying to join the NATO military alliance and the European Union.
