Russian astronauts seen in ‘Ukraine colours’ at space station. Then a response

The pictures, also posted by the head of the Russian Space agency, show cosmonauts wearing bright yellow suits with blue trimmings.

Three Russian cosmonauts - wearing blue and yellow outfits - arrived at the International Space Station, multiple reports said, as Moscow's offensive in the war-hit country enters Day 25. The colour of their outfit matched the Ukrainian flag, suggesting that they be expressing solidarity with Kyiv. The photos were widely shared on social media. The pictures, also posted by the head of the Russian Space agency, show cosmonauts wearing bright yellow suits with blue trimmings - Ukrainian colours - in what has been viewed as a ‘possible statement’ against the war.

A screenshot from video provided by Roscosmos showing Russian cosmonauts wearing blue and yellow outfits. The photos were widely shared on social media. (BBC)

Roscosmos, a state corporation of the Russian Federation, however, rebuffed the speculation. "Sometimes yellow is just yellow," a top official was quoted as saying in a report by BBC. He further clarified that the suits were designed to match the colours of the emblem of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, from where all three cosmonauts graduated. Further, the design of the uniforms was coordinated long before the Russia-Ukraine war, he claimed.

Ever since the war started on February 24, people around the world have used the colours of Ukraine's national flag - yellow and blue- to show solidarity.

Social media was flooded with responses to the astronauts' outfit. "Without attempting to take away the guilt of the Russians for the horrible war crimes being committed by the Russian army right now in Ukraine, I still think it is quite remarkable the choice of the Russian astronauts of colours of their jumpsuits yesterday on the ISS," one Twitter user wrote.

The three Russian astronauts - Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov - blasted off successfully from the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan in their Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft, according to Britain-based Guardian, on Friday.

They will spend the next six-and-a-half months aboard the space station. The ISS is a joint project between Russia, America, Canada, Japan and several European countries. It is led by a US-Russian partnership despite fluctuating tensions between the two world powers. According to media outlet space.com, 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the International Space Station as of April 2021. Top participating countries include the United States (153 people) and Russia (50 people).

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which started on Feb 24, has forced more than 3.3 million refugees to flee the war-torn nation. Fighting is raging on multiple fronts in Ukraine, with intense combat underway in the besieged port city of Mariupol - the site of some of the war’s greatest suffering. The two countries have held several rounds of negotiations but without breakthrough. Moscow wants Ukraine's demilitarisation and Kyiv is demanding security guarantees.