Russian clothing in the colors of Ukraine reacts to the Kremlin

It was a film that went around the world; The last three Russian astronauts to join the ISS did so in yellow and blue uniforms. A strong gesture, in the current context, was explicitly interpreted as a gesture of support for Ukraine’s attempts to invade Russia. But that would not be the case, according to Roskosmos, a national space agency directly dependent on the Kremlin.

The BBC The fact that the agency was quick to deny this position explains, a “Funny discovery of foreign media“. “Sometimes yellow is yellow”, The company said in a telegram post found by Space.com. “The design of these uniforms was defined long before current events.”

The colors of a university

Dmitry Rokosin, the agency’s director of sulfur, clarified that the most provocative color at this time actually matched the colors of the Bauman State Technical University in Moscow, where three astronauts cut their teeth.. “Under no circumstances are we going to ban our astronauts, graduates of Bauman University, from wearing the colors of their Alma Mater logo.”, Says the director. As evidenced by this image from 2014, it is true that combinations with comparable colors have already been used in the past.

Inevitably, the astronauts were also questioned when they arrived aboard during a press conference. And they were more evasive and less categorical than rocosine; They did not mention Bauman University, but did not verbally state their support for Ukraine.

Oleg Artemyev, one of the three astronauts in question, wanted to get in touch. “Our method is to choose a color“, He started in a humorous tone”In fact, we piled up a lot of yellow clothes, so we had to use it well ! “. Whether it is political news or not, the mystery remains.

Color makes people talk, but collaboration continues

But there is still good news from history: Cooperation around the ISS continues to be in a good mood. Russian astronauts were greeted by their colleagues with open arms. Agencies also often have open castings that you can attend to get selected. For now, operations are continuing as planned at the station. While this is obvious, the obvious hostile statements of rocosin cannot be said Apparently intimidated The ISS should be allowed to fail.

This is good news for American astronaut Mark Vande Hay. He is due to return from the ISS on March 30 with two Russian colleagues; He would also return in a Russian vehicle, and some onlookers were expecting some diplomatic sparks on the occasion. But Roscosmos has already announced that he will be picked up as planned and that he will not be barred from returning to the United States.

ISS, a leading diplomatic channel

Beyond its usual scientific mission, the ISS plays an important role at this time. For many years now, it has represented a neutral zone, the unshakable ivory tower in international relations; It plays an important role as a symbolic excuse, the common purpose of maintaining cooperation.

So it is even more important in the current context; At the moment, this is one of the last points where the Russians and the Americans continue to actively cooperate. In the current context in which relations are generally very tense, it is reassuring that the Russian government is not fundamentally opposed to any cooperation decision.

Is this enough to convince us that we can get out of the crisis through negotiation? Especially after Vladimir Putin’s last speech, it is difficult to say where it is. But until then, the ISS will undoubtedly represent the most privileged diplomatic channel the world needs at this time.