Russian cosmonauts explain color of their uniforms

WASHINGTON (AP) — Upon the arrival of the three Russian cosmonauts at the International Space Station, their yellow uniforms with blue parts attracted attention and some interpreted it as a message because the colors match the Ukrainian flag. On Saturday they cleared things up.

Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev said that each crew chooses the color of their flight reports six months before launch because they are produced individually. And since all three were graduates of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, they chose the colors of their prestigious alma mater.

“There is no need to look for hidden signs or symbols in our uniform,” Artemyev said in a statement through the Russian space agency's Telegram channel. “A color is simply a color. There is nothing to do with Ukraine. Otherwise, we would have to recognize their rights to the yellow sun in the blue sky.

“These days, even though we are in space, we are united with our president and our people!”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine just over three weeks ago, many people have used the Ukrainian flag and its colors to show solidarity with the country.

Dmitry Rogozin, director of the Roscosmos special agency, confirmed Artemyev's point of view in a tweet, in which he posted a photograph of the university's blue and gold coat of arms.

Shortly after his arrival on Friday at the orbital station, Artemyev had to answer a question about flight suits. He said there was a lot of yellow material in existence and “that's why we had to use yellow.”