Don't butt heads with us: Roscosmos chief after US astronaut's landing in Russian capsule

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei made his return in a Russian capsule on March 30, something which was seemingly impossible in the last few weeks. While the West feared that he might get abandoned by Russia over the deteriorating relations with the US owing to the Ukraine crisis, Russian space agency Roscosmos’ Director General Dmitry Rogozin had overlooked such concerns, calling them ‘hysterical’. Now that the job is done, Rogozin has reacted to the development and has reminded the West of Russia’s importance in orbit. 

(Image: Twitter/@Rogozin)

In what seemed to be a poem that he shared on Twitter, Rogozin stated that Russians might be outcasts for the west on Earth, but advised the west to 'think with their head' as it needs Russia in space. "You guys need to be friends with us, Work in orbit, fraternize. You should think with your head, not with your back. I do not advise you to butt heads with us", an excerpt from Rogozin's tweet read.

(Image: Twitter/@Rogozin)

In a separate tweet, he wrote, "Russians are a threat to you again Russians are targets for sanctions. And thunder agitators thunder, Propaganda sinister dances," taking a veiled dig at the western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine invasion. He also shared a short clip of the Russian MS-18 capsule, which transported Vande Hei and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov, undocking and departing the International Space Station (ISS).

Earlier on March 30, Rogozin had shared another tweet with an image of a US media channel reporting about Vande Hei's return from the ISS along with Dubrov and Shkaplerov. "We returned the International crew to Earth", he captioned his tweet. 

Vande Hei returns after 355 days in space

The US astronaut, who had arrived at the space station with Dubrov in April 2021, made his landing in Kazakhstan after spending 355 days in space- the most by an American. In an interview with The Guardian, Vande Hei revealed that he avoided discussing the Ukraine situation with his Russian counterparts. He was quoted saying, "People have a problem on Earth. On orbit...we are one crew" and added that the ISS is a symbol of "friendship and cooperation and ...future of space exploration."

Image: AP/NASA