For the first time, NASA criticizes Russia in space because of the flags of the so-called “L/DPR” on the ISS

Russian cosmonauts excelled in space propaganda and NASA responded. In its statement, the agency condemned the actions of three astronauts who posed on the International Space Station with the flags of the fake “Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics“. This is reported by The Verge.

The photo was published on the official Telegram channel of Roscosmos. On it, cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denys Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov are holding flags that are considered anti-Ukrainian propaganda. At the same time, Roscosmos congratulated the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic” on the capture of Lysychansk.

In response, NASA issued a rare rebuke to Russia, which remains the agency’s main partner on the ISS. This is the first time that NASA has openly condemned the actions of Russia and its partner Roscosmos in space against the background of the invasion of Ukraine.

“NASA strongly rebukes Russia for using the International Space Station for political purposes to support its war against Ukraine, which is fundamentally inconsistent with the station’s primary function among the 15 international participating countries to advance science and develop technology for peaceful purposes,” NASA spokesman Jackie McGuinness wrote in an email.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also reacted to the flags of terrorist republics on the ISS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that Russia demonstrates barbarism even in space.

“Russian cosmonauts display on Space Station is a flag under which Russian troops kill women and children in Donbas and turn entire Ukrainian cities to ashes,“ wrote on his Twitter page the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleg Nikolenko.

Despite Russia’s attack on Ukraine, cooperation with the aggressor state at the ISS continued. NASA and Roscosmos continue to work together to maintain uninterrupted operations on the ISS, which is home to both American and Russian astronauts. The work continued even when the head of Roscosmos publicly threatened to withdraw from the partnership on the ISS.