NASA has criticized Russia for three Russians aboard the ISS posed with a flag that is seen as anti-Ukraine propaganda. Photos show Russian cosmonauts holding up flags of Luhansk and Donetsk, two regions of eastern Ukraine invaded by the Russians.
The American space agency says it strongly disapproves of the behavior of the Russians, writes SpaceNews† According to NASA, the ISS is not a place to express political support for a war against Ukraine.
“That is fundamentally at odds with the most important function of the space station, in which 15 countries participate: to advance science and develop technology for peaceful purposes,” the organization said.
On July 4, the Russian space agency Roscosmos shared the photos of the cosmonauts with the flags. A statement from the organization on Telegram said Roscosmos and the astronauts were celebrating “Liberation Day” in Luhansk.
The news came a day after Russia captured the city of Lysychansk. That was the last major city in Luhansk that was still in the hands of Ukraine.
Normally no politics in the ISS
It’s not often that NASA speaks out so publicly against one of its partners. In June, NASA CEO Bill Nelson reacted calmly when asked about the effect of the war on the ISS.
“There are Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts on board,” he said at a news conference. “They are all very professional, just like the ground stations in Houston and Moscow. Despite the tragedies that are happening in Ukraine thanks to President Putin, international cooperation is rock solid.”
There is normally no room for politics or religion on board the ISS. “Everyone should know that for themselves,” Dutch astronaut André Kuipers told NU.nl in March. He himself spent 204 days on board the station. “When you talk about those topics, you get splits. So on board you talk about other things: sports, kids, science.”