Sergei Korsakov, Oleg Artemiev and Denis Matveev were seen posing with the red, dark blue and light blue separatist flag on the International Space Station (ISS). The image was posted by the Russian space agency Roscosmos on the messaging app Telegram. Ukrainian flag raised after recapture of Snake Island – live updates He described the seizure of the Luhansk region as “a day of liberation to be celebrated both on Earth and in space.” Roscosmos wrote: “This is a long-awaited day that the residents of the occupied areas of the Luhansk region have been waiting for eight years.” In March, Messrs. Artemyev, Matveyev and Korsakov were the first crew members from Russia to join the ISS since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. They emerged from their Soyuz capsule wearing yellow suits, seen by some as a message of solidarity with Ukraine. But when asked about the significance of the space suit, Mr Artemyev explained that each crew must choose its own flight suit to differentiate itself from the others. “It was our turn to pick a color. But actually, we had accumulated a lot of yellow material, so we had to use it. That’s why we had to wear yellow,” he said. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player March 1:46: Russian cosmonauts wear yellow Russia announced on Sunday that its troops had captured the town of Lysychansk, completing the conquest of Luhansk, one of two regions that make up the Donbas – which the Kremlin has demanded Ukraine hand over to Moscow-backed separatists. Over the past two months, Moscow has brought the full force of its ground forces to bear on a small section of the front line. During a televised meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Mr Putin congratulated Russian forces on their “victories in the direction of Luhansk”. Those who took part in the fighting should “absolutely rest and regain their military readiness” while other units continue to fight in other areas, he added. Important victory for Russia The capture of Luhansk marks Russia’s biggest victory in the war since it captured the southern port of Mariupol in late May. And it is the closest Moscow has come to achieving one of its stated goals since its forces were defeated in an attempt to take the capital Kyiv in March – namely to “liberate” the Donbass. Read more: Russians ‘worn out’ at Lysychansk and had ‘real problems’ Citizens learn the hard way that it will take years to clear the mines Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 3:40 Lysychansk falls to Russian forces Roscosmos also said: “We are convinced that July 3, 2022 will forever remain in the history of the (Luhansk People’s Republic).” Ukraine has vowed to regain lost territory, insisting that its troops had withdrawn from their last remaining stronghold in the region to save the lives of its soldiers. Kyiv said its forces would regroup to launch a counterattack with the help of long-range weapons from Western countries. After being repulsed in its initial attempt to seize Kyiv, Russia has focused on ousting Ukrainian forces from the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. The separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops in these two areas since Russia’s first military intervention in Ukraine in 2014. Moscow will hope that the Ukrainian retreat will spur Russian forces to push further west into the neighboring Donetsk region, where Ukraine still holds the cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut.
