As Russia continues to face global backlash over its invasion of Ukraine, the chief of Russian space agency (Roscosmos) Dmitry Rogozin on Wednesday shared a video showing workers covering up the flags of the US, UK and Japan on a Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The workers, however, left the Indian tricolour untouched in the 1.52-minute video.
"The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful," Rogozin tweeted.
While the US, UK and Japan have imposed severe economic sanctions on Russia, India has refrained from directly criticising Moscow for invading Ukraine.
At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on Wednesday, India once again abstained from voting on the resolution against Russia. The government has, instead, called for Russia and Ukraine to work out a peaceful agreement.
Meanwhile, Russian space agency Roscosmos is refusing to launch the Soyuz rocket -- carrying 36 OneWeb internet satellites -- as scheduled for Friday, unless the company meets the state agency’s demands. Rogozin said the ultimatum is a response to U.K. sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, reported CNBC.
Roscosmos said in a statement on Wednesday that the Soyuz rocket will be removed from the launchpad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan unless OneWeb meets two demands:
- The UK government sells its stake in the company.
- OneWeb guarantees that the satellites not be used for military purposes.
UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said in a statement that there is “no negotiation” with Roscosmos about OneWeb and that the government “is not selling its share.”
Last week, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin had warned that the crippling sanctions on Russia could lead to the International Space Station (ISS) crashing onto any of the countries opposing Moscow in its military operation in Ukraine. He asked who would stop the ISS from falling into either the US, Europe, China or even India.
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