The reason why Russian cosmonauts wore yellow suits during their arrival at the Space Station

Three Russian cosmonauts took off from Earth on Friday morning for the International Space Station and emerged from their Soyuz rocket just over three hours later, all dressed in yellow flight suits with blue stripes and accents, the colors of the Ukrainian national flag.

In a live broadcast organized by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the three cosmonauts, Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveyev and Sergey Korsakov, could be seen entering the space station one by one, floating in the zero-gravity environment and embracing the seven astronauts already in orbit. His bright yellow clothing also includes two patches of blue, white and red, the colors of the Russian flag, on the arm and chest.

Shortly after arriving at the International Space Station, the trio spoke to the people who called on the phone, including family members who wished them a successful mission. When asked by a caller about his choice of clothing, Artemyev replied that each team can choose their own colors from a supply of equipment.

“In fact, we had a lot of yellow material, so we had to use it,” Artemyev explained. “So that's why we had to wear yellow.”

The Russian space force also denied that the color reflected the Ukrainian flag. He said that the design of the uniform reflected the colors of the Bauman State Technical University in Moscow, where cosmonauts studied.

“Sometimes, yellow is just yellow,” wrote the force, Roscosmos, in Telegram.

The decision to dress by the three Russians sparked discussions on social media about whether this was a deliberate reference to the war in Ukraine, where Russian forces have unleashed torrents of artillery fire, missiles and bombs in the past three weeks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to justify the offensive in a controversial manner by claiming that it was launched to “denazify” Ukraine.

Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who commanded three expeditions aboard the International Space Station, tweeted on Friday, in both Russian and English, that the three Russian cosmonauts arrived in “Ukrainian yellow”. His fellow astronaut Terry Virts was equally enthusiastic and tweeted: “Wow. Just wow. Well done.”

Space enthusiasts and observers were particularly interested in whether the suits are intended to support Ukraine, because Russian authorities have cracked down on anti-war sentiment since the end of February. The Kremlin shut down independent media, banned some social media platforms, and punished activists who dare to speak out.

This has left little room for people in Russia to access stories about the growing humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Ukraine. Those who support Putin's invasion have also launched their own pro-war campaigns, including the use of the letter “Z” to signal its approval.

The trip to the International Space Station comes as growing tensions between the United States and Russia put the countries' space partnership to the test. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, threatened earlier this month to cut off the supply of Russian-made rocket engines used in rockets carrying supplies to the space station. But NASA's leadership has dismissed the idea that collaboration is wearing thin.

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