An astronaut donning Russian colors has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars for 'high treason' in Ukraine.
Alexey Zubritsky is currently hiding on board the International Space Station (ISS) for crimes against Ukraine as war rages on in Eastern Europe, which began when Russia invaded its southern neighbor in February 2022.
Alexey Zubritsky's space mission
NASA astronaut Johnny Kim arrived at the ISS alongside the 32-year-old and his fellow cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov on Tuesday (April 8), with the trio set to inhibit the satellite for the next eight months to carry out technology demonstrations, while also conducting scientific experiments.
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They launched from a facility in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz-2a rocket, and it is hoped that their work will better prepare crews onboard future trips, as well as benefiting us Earth dwellers.
The three will be joining NASA's Anne McClain, Don Pettit and Nichole Ayers, as well as Russian cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner, with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s astronaut Takuya Onishi also onboard.
Why Zubritsky is wanted in Ukraine
Well, it's because he's Ukrainian. More specifically, he was captured by Russian forces and joined 'the enemy'.
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Formerly a pilot, Zubritsky flew an attack aircraft for Ukraine in the in 2013 in the aviation unit 204th Sevastopol Brigade, but a year into the war between his nation and his newly-adopted country, he switched allegiance.
Zubritsky was in Crimea when Vladimir Putin's Russia invaded the region, seizing it in the process, before posting the Ukrainian in bases in Rostov and Krasnodar regions of his home country.
Keen to not fight patriots from his own nation, he began training to be a cosmonaut.
What are Ukraine and Russia saying about Zubritsky?
If Zubritsky ever decides to return 'home', Ukrainian authorities will prosecute him.
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The Ukrainian prosecutor said: "Having committed high treason and desertion, he joined the armed forces of the Russian Federation, where he is still serving, in particular, as a test cosmonaut, [and] flight engineer of the ISS-72/73 crew [currently onboard the ISS]."
Russian news outlet Shot, which supports the Kremlin, has congratulated the former Ukrainian for donning Russian colors and subsequently blasting off into space on behalf of the nation.
“Russians have exceptional respect for Alexey, are happy for his career and send greetings to the ISS," it wrote.
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Meanwhile, the ISS's latest NASA recruit, Jonny Kim, of Los Angeles, is joining the team as a former Navy lieutenant commander and dual-designated naval aviator and flight surgeon.
Topics: NASA, Russia, Ukraine, International Space Station
Joe Yates