Upon the arrival of the three Russian cosmonauts at the International Space Station, their yellow uniforms with blue parts drew attention and some interpreted it as a message because the colors match the Ukrainian flag. On Saturday they cleared things up.
Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev said that each crew chooses the color of their flight reports six months before launch because they are produced individually. And since all three were graduates of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, they chose the colors of their prestigious alma mater.
“There is no need to search for hidden signs or symbols on our uniform,” Artemyev said in a statement via the Russian space agency’s Telegram channel. “A color is just a color. There is no relationship with Ukraine at all. Otherwise, we would have to recognize their rights to the yellow sun in the blue sky.
“These days, even though we are in space, we are united with our president and our people!”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine just over three weeks ago, many people have used the Ukrainian flag and its colors to show their solidarity with the country.
Dmitry Rogozin, director of the Roscosmos special agency, confirmed Artemyev’s view in a tweet, posting a photo of the university’s blue and gold coat of arms.
