NASA condemns Russia for using ISS to justify war in Ukraine

NASA has criticized Russia for using the International Space Station for promoting and justifying its war in Ukraine.

That's according to Space News, which refers to a statement emailed by NASA to reporters, Ukrinform reports.

"NASA strongly rebukes Russia using the International Space Station for political purposes to support its war against Ukraine, which is fundamentally inconsistent with the station's primary function among the 15 international participating countries to advance science and develop technology for peaceful purposes," the statement said.

The statement appears to be in response to images released by the Russian space agency Roscosmos on July 4 that showed Russian cosmonauts on the station holding flags associated with separatist entities in Ukraine. The flags were displayed to mark the Russian occupation of Lysychansk, the last city in Luhansk to fall to Russian forces.