Astronauts have a different view of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Watching directly from space, the conflict between the two countries looks tense.
When war broke out on February 24, the situation was in stark contrast. At night, the twinkling lights that usually light up in the dark and can be seen from space are no longer visible. Everything suddenly went dark.
The incident was felt directly by European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer who saw the war between Russia and Ukraine from the International Space Station (ISS) which is in orbit at an altitude of 400 km from the ground.
"When you are in space, you feel very far away at first. At the start of the war, the whole horror goes dark at night," Maurer said as quoted by Space, Saturday (28/5/2022).
Maurer himself has now returned to Earth. He described the experience in an interview with "Morgenmagazin".
Maurer said it was difficult to identify Ukrainian territory, other than their capital Kyiv. But when the sun shines it all becomes clear. The impact of the war can be seen with the naked eye from outer space.
"It can be seen clearly with the naked eye from outer space. The incident can be clearly identified, like a big puff of smoke rising upwards, for example in the city of Mariupol," he said.
Russian troops have attacked Mariupol, a port city that is considered important and strategically located on the southern coast of Ukraine. When the war rages on, the city is turned into a battlefield for Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking of the hot situation on Earth, Maurier did not explain whether this war was also discussed in space with his Russian crewmates.
In fact, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who also returned to Earth on March 30, using the Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan, was haunted by unpleasant rumors.
"I certainly never worried about how I would be treated by the Russian space program. To be honest, our interactions, our partnership with Russia, have been one of the reasons we were able to fund the space program," he concluded.