Russian Cosmonauts Hold Tricolour, Wish India Ahead of 80th Independence Day From ISS

August 10, 2026

New Delhi: Russian cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have extended special greetings to the people of India ahead of the country’s 80th Independence Day, holding the Indian tricolour and highlighting the long-standing friendship between the two nations.

In a video message, the cosmonauts congratulated the people of India and recalled the decades-long cooperation between India and Russia, particularly in the field of space exploration.

“Dear friends, today the Republic of India is celebrating its 80th Independence Day,” cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov said, wishing peace and prosperity to the people of India.

Gagarin’s India Visit Recalled

The cosmonauts also linked India’s Independence Day celebrations with another milestone in space history — 65 years since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space.

Gagarin visited India in November 1961 and became an early symbol of the growing friendship between India and the Soviet Union. The cosmonauts recalled his praise for India, noting that the country looked beautiful from space but was even more beautiful on Earth as the home of “true friends.”

From Aryabhata to Gaganyaan

The message highlighted the long history of India-Russia cooperation in space, which began in 1975 with the Soviet launch of Aryabhata, India’s first satellite.

The partnership reached another major milestone in 1984 when Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11.

Cosmonaut Anna Kikina said the partnership has now entered a new phase with India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. Indian astronauts, known as Gaganyatris, have received training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia ahead of India’s first crewed space mission.

The message also mentioned a joint competition organised by Roscosmos, its office in India and ISRO to mark the countries’ space cooperation. Winning entries from the competition were displayed along with the Independence Day greetings.

“Long live India-Russia friendship,” cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev said while holding the Indian flag aboard the space station.