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Putin confers Hero of Russia title on cosmonaut Kikina for lengthy space sojourn on ISS

The same decree also confers the title of Russian Pilot-Cosmonaut on Kikina

MOSCOW, April 3. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally conferred the title Hero of the Russian Federation on cosmonaut Anna Kikina, according to the text of the relevant presidential decree published on the Russian government’s official portal for legal information.

The document notes that Kikina was awarded Russia’s highest honorary title, informally known simply as Hero of Russia, "for the bravery and heroism that she demonstrated while carrying out a long-term space flight on the International Space Station (ISS)."

The same decree also confers the title of Russian Pilot-Cosmonaut on Kikina.

In addition, Armen Arutyunov, deputy department head at the Gagarin Research & Test Cosmonaut Training Center, and Vladimir Krayev, head of the Center's laboratory, were awarded with medals "For Merit in Space Exploration" for their contribution toward the development of the Russian space program’s cosmonaut training system and their many years of dedicated, conscientious work in service to the country and the mission of exploring outer space.

Anna Kikina was the first Russian cosmonaut to fly to the ISS within the NATO-Roscosmos cross-field program on the US Crew Dragon spacecraft. Last October, Kikina, along with US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, arrived at the ISS. On March 12, they completed their space journey, landing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The duration of their flight was 157 days altogether.

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