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ISS crew congratulates people of the Earth on Victory Day

The US astronaut Vande Hei joined the congratulation wishing the mankind a peaceful sky, strong health, well-being and joy

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who are currently onboard the International Space Station, have congratulated all people of the Earth on Victory Day.

"We will always remember the great feat of soldiers and home front workers. We will honor the memory of millions of victims, at the cost of which our grandfathers and great-grandfathers stopped the forces of destruction, returned peace to people, the right to life and the right to freedom. The memory of this will be always sacred to us," Novitsky said in a video on the website of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos.

The US astronaut joined the congratulation wishing the mankind a peaceful sky, strong health, well-being and joy.

In his turn, Dubrov noted that the day when the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War ended is considered as one of the key events of the 20th century because it defined the future peaceful development of the human civilization. Vande Hei pointed out that now the ISS crew members were united by one common goal - the aspiration for discoveries and research for the sake of the mankind.

"The ISS is a brilliant historical example of international cooperation, we are honored to be residents of this research lab of a global level," he stated.

Currently, seven crew members are working aboard the ISS: Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

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