Business InsiderBusiness Insider
The Russian cosmonauts who wore the colors of Ukraine's flag to the ISS were blindsided by speculation that they were protesting the war, US astronaut says
russia ukraine space nasa
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Korsakov, Oleg Artemyev, and Denis Matveyev seen during a welcome ceremony after arriving at the International Space Station.Roscosmos via AP
  • Russian cosmonauts wore yellow-and-blue spacesuits last month.

  • They said they wore those colors to represent their university, not the Ukrainian flag.

  • Mark Vande Hei said they were blindsided by the attention they received.

The Russian cosmonauts who wore yellow and blue wereblindsided by speculation that they were protesting the war, according to Mark Vande Hei.

Vande Hei was in space for 355 days.

Vande Hei talked about what life was like with his Russian colleagues on the International Space Station in his first press conference since his return.

He addressed the speculation surrounding the Russian cosmonauts after they were photographed wearing yellow-and-blue space suits upon their arrival on the International Space Station.

The colors of the Ukrainian flag are yellow and blue, which are used to show support for the nation as it defends itself from Russia.

Vande Hei said that all three of his Russian crewmates were associated with the same university.

Bauman Moscow State Technical University has a blue and gold coat of arms.

The Washington Post reported that Vande Hei said the Russians had no idea that people would think that it was related to Ukraine.

Several former NASA astronauts, including Scott Kelly and Terry Virts, speculated on social media that the Russians were showing support for Ukraine after photos of Artemyev, Matveev, and Korsakov wearing blue and yellow were published.

Artemyev shut down the speculation on the Russian space agency's Telegram channel several days later, saying there was no need to look for any hidden signs or symbols.

A color is a color. It is not connected to Ukraine. He said that they would have to recognize the rights to the yellow sun in the blue sky.

Vande Hei wouldn't comment on how his crew members felt about the invasion of Ukraine.

Those are things that I would prefer that they share directly rather than me sharing how they feel about it, he said. Their main focus was on our mission together, so their discussions about the war were very brief.

Russia suspended its cooperation with NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency after Vande Hei spoke. The US, European Union, and Canada have imposed sanctions on Russia.

Tensions between the US and Russian space agencies have been on the rise after Russian space agency head, Boris Rogozin, criticized the US sanctions in aggressive social-media posts.

Vande Hei said that the camaraderie in space remained the same.

He said that he and his Russian colleagues would continue to be dear friends. I didn't have any concerns about my ability to work with them.

The original article is on Business Insider.

  • The relationship between the US and Russian astronauts on the International Space Station remained positive despite the animosity between the two countries, according to Mark Vande Hei.

  • The EU has paid $38 billion for fuel and given $1 billion to Ukraine, according to Josep Borrell.

  • Few know that Amazon has millions of Prime subscribers.

  • Ratings agencies said that Russia would be in a technical default if it paid in rubles on dollar bonds.

  • Mark Vande Hei talked about his time in space, his record, and his relationship with his Russian crewmates.

  • Zelenskyy and Biden called Putin a war criminal after Russia was accused of killing at least 300 Ukrainian civilians.

  • Ad12Up
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    A man builds a trap to catch a thief.

  • As western sanctions mount against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, China's state refiners are avoiding new Russian oil contracts but honouring existing ones. State-run Sinopec, CNOOC, PetroChina and Sinochem have stayed out of the market for May loadings, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Two people said that Chinese state-owned firms don't want to be seen as supporting Moscow by buying more oil after Washington and the EU banned Russian oil.

  • The company seems to be growing too fast and its sales growth is slowing.

  • It looked like a flash in the pan when a little known far-right politician claimed third place behind Boris Yeltsin in Russia's 1991 presidential election. It was the beginning of a career in which he specialized in picking out the scars of Russian resentment after the fall of the Soviet Union. He was often dismissed as a clown for his antics.

  • AdLivestly
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    I never knew...

  • The family of Russian government officials will be hit by further Russia sanctions, according to the WSJ.

  • A number of global auto companies have stopped operations in Russia.

  • The top U.S. military officer thinks the conflict in Ukraine will last a long time.

  • AdSportinal
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    There are 40 wild facts about Adam West's Batman show.

  • H&M Group, Disney, and IKEA have stopped operations in Russia, leaving a trail of closed stores and empty shelves.

  • During an interview with the Atlantic Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was at war with the US and NATO.

  • In the video, which was filmed in Bucha, where officials say about 300 people were buried in mass graves, Klitschko said that this is genocide of the Ukrainian population.

  • AdSmartAsset
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    Saving for retirement is all about investing, and capital gains taxes can eat up a significant portion of your earnings each year.

  • The data from Russia's finance ministry shows that state income from Russian energy sales in March was well below the official forecast.

  • Diesel is in short supply all around the world because of rising energy prices. Diesel prices in the US shot up in the first quarter.

  • Zelensky is America's most popular world leader and it's time to transform its system. Putin is unlikely to face punishment for war crimes.

  • AdGundry MD
    • Why this Ad?
    • Go ad-free*

    Doctors revolutionary approach to health helps battle health problems like low energy and weight gain. See how.

  • As I watched a boy cross the border, I wondered how much we had in common as recently as two months ago, and how little we have in common now.

  • Watching a rocket launch is one of the most exciting things to do. Over the years, space has lost its luster, but it still has some exciting and beautiful displays. The post Watch a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket create a stunning twilight phenomenon as it blasts through Earth's atmosphere appeared first on BGR.

  • We live in a huge, flat, spiral galaxy with a huge halo of stars and dark matter. The Sun's disk of stars, gas, and dust is a full 120,000 light years away. The central bulge is located in the middle of the disk. How did this structure come together? We know it didn't all happen at once, but what were the different chapters in the life of the universe? What is the time line?