(Reuters) – Russia’s space agency on Saturday denied Western media reports that Russian cosmonauts joining the International Space Station (ISS) chose to wear yellow and blue-patterned suits in support of Ukraine. Read more

“Sometimes yellow is only yellow,” the press service of Roscosmos said via its Telegram channel.

“Flying suits for the new crew are made in the colors of the emblem of the Bauman State Technical University in Moscow, from which the three cosmonauts graduated … Seeing the Ukrainian flag everywhere and in everything is crazy.”

Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Roscosmos, was even more blunt, saying on his personal Telegram channel that Russian cosmonauts had no sympathy for Ukrainian nationalists.

At a press conference broadcast live from the International Space Station on Friday, veteran cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, the mission’s commander, was asked about the suits.

“Each crew picks a different colour,” he said. “It’s our turn to pick a colour.” “The truth is we accumulated a lot of yellow cloth, so we needed to use it. That’s why we had to wear yellow suits while flying.”

And on Saturday evening, he was quoted on the Telegram channel of Roscosmos, as saying that the suits were made six months ago, and that the three cosmonauts chose the colors of their home school.

“Color is just a colour. It has nothing to do with Ukraine,” he said. “These days, even though we are in space, we are with our president and our people!”

Russia invaded Ukraine, which is flying its blue and yellow flag, on February 24. The ensuing fighting killed thousands of people, destroyed parts of cities, and forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Rogozin suggested that US sanctions imposed in response to the invasion could destroy the collective work of the International Space Station and cause the space station to fall out of orbit.

Officials with the US space agency, NASA, said that the American and Russian crew members are aware of events on Earth, but that their work has not been affected by geopolitical tensions.

Written by Kevin Levy Editing by Helen Popper

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