Describing the situation as “unacceptable”, Dmitry Rogozin, head of the country’s Roscosmos space agency, said he would no longer work with partners, including NASA and the European Space Agency, on the orbital outpost. Stating that the sanctions were designed “to kill the Russian economy, to plunge our people into despair and hunger and to bring our country to its knees,” he said normal relations could only be restored without the unconditional lifting of “illegal” measures. War in Ukraine – latest updates Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:14 The American astronaut returns with a Russian capsule While other joint projects, such as launches, were canceled after Russia’s military strike on Ukraine, cooperation between the International Space Station and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was largely unaffected by the ongoing war on Earth. Just last week, on a careful return, American astronaut Mark Vande Hei landed safely in the same capsule as two Russian cosmonauts, amid rising tensions between Moscow and Washington over the collision. Key developments:
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“Russian forces are creating ‘a complete disaster,’” Ukraine’s president said. The Red Cross convoy traveling to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol will make another attempt to evacuate civilians from the besieged port • As Russia begins to withdraw from Kyiv and Chernihiv, Ukraine says its army has recaptured 29 At least three Russian ballistic missiles were fired from the Crimean peninsula into the Odessa region, but Ukrainian air defenses prevented them from hitting critical infrastructure, the military said. Image: A map showing the current ground situation in Ukraine When three astronauts arrived at the space station last month, Roscosmos rejected proposals to wear yellow-decorated yellow flight suits – the colors of Ukraine’s national flag – in support of the country, saying: “Sometimes yellow is just yellow”. Announcing US financial sanctions against the Kremlin in February, US President Joe Biden ordered restrictions on high-tech exports to Russia that he said were designed to “downgrade” its aerospace industry, including its space program. Mr Rogozin was shocked at the moment, arguing that the action taken could “destroy” ISS teamwork and cause the lab to fall off track. He urged other space agencies to lift sanctions on companies in the Russian missile and space industries to ensure that work on the station continued and set a deadline for the end of the month. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:46 Russian cosmonauts wear yellow and blue In their responses, they pledged to continue working on the space station, but gave no indication that the financial measures would be relaxed. “Unacceptable state of affairs” Writing on Twitter, Mr Rogozin said: “The position of our partners is clear: sanctions will not be lifted. “At the same time, fearing the breakdown of cooperation in the ISS, where Russia’s role is crucial in ensuring the viability and safety of the station, the Western partners are making it clear that, in fact, sanctions will work. “I find this situation unacceptable.” Subscribe to Ukraine War Calendars on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker He added: “Sanctions by the United States, Canada, the European Union and Japan are aimed at hindering the financial, economic and productive activities of our high-tech companies. “The purpose of the sanctions is to kill the Russian economy, to plunge our people into despair and hunger, and to bring our country to its knees. “It’s clear they will not be able to do that, but the intentions are clear. “That is why I believe that the restoration of normal relations between the partners on the International Space Station and other joint projects is possible only with the complete and unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions. “Specific proposals of Roskosmos for the timetable for the completion of the cooperation within the ISS with the space services of the USA, Canada, the European Union and Japan will be reported to the leadership of our country in the near future”.
