Russian Cosmonauts On ISS Celebrate Capture Of Ukraine's Luhansk Region, Roscosmos Calls It 'Long Awaited Day'

Roscosmos posted pictures of cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergei Korsakov smiling as they held up flags of Russia's proxies in eastern Ukraine.

Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, July 5, celebrated Russia's capture of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk. The capture of this Ukrainian region is a significant milestone for Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to a report by news agency Reuters, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, described the capture of Ukraine's Luhansk region as a "liberation day to celebrate both on Earth and in space". The Russian space agency called the day of the capture a "long-awaited" day.

Cosmonauts Clicked Pictures Holding Flags Of Russia’s Proxies In Eastern Ukraine

Roscosmos posted pictures of cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergei Korsakov smiling as they held up flags of Russia's proxies in eastern Ukraine. These regions are the Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic.

Roscosmos wrote in the Telegram messaging app that this is a "long-awaited day" that the residents of the occupied areas of the Luhansk region had been waiting eight years for, according to the report.

"We are convinced that July 3, 2022, will forever remain in the history of the (Luhansk People's) Republic," Roscosmos wrote. 

On July 3, Russia announced that Russian and separatist forces had gained full control over the Luhansk region after capturing its last major city, Lysychansk. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine has vowed to regain its lost territory, and said its troops had withdrawn from their last remaining bastion in the region to save the lives of its soldiers. Kyiv said that with the help of long-range Western weapons, its troops would regroup to launch a counter-offensive.