There is a deserter from Crimea in the ISS crew. Convicted in Ukraine for treason

From April, the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) includes Oleksij Zubrycki – a former lieutenant of the Ukrainian army, who during the occupation of Crimea switched to Russia and was sentenced in Ukraine for betrayal of state – the Ukrainian suspilne portal informed.

Oleksij Zubrycki (Aleksiej Zubrici) was born in Zaporozhye in Ukraine and graduated from the Air Force University in Kharkov. In the rank of a lieutenant of the armed forces of Ukraine, he served as an air key pilot in one of the military units stationed in Crimea.

When Russia began the occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula, the command sent Zubrycki to another unit on the Ukrainian continent. He was to appear there on May 12, 2014, but he never reported to service. On March 11, 2025, the City Court in Winnica sentenced him to 15 years in prison for treason.

In the judgment, the court found that in the period from 22 March to 13 May 2014 he stayed in Sevastopol, where “acting intentionally, for mercy motives, he was on the enemy side, thus committing betrayal of state, i.e. acting to the detriment of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability, defense capacity, state security, economic, economic security and information.”

The court in Winnica added that Zubrycki served in the Russian army for over 10 years, including during a full -size Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2018, he was incorporated into the Russian space squadron. He was sent to the ISS on April 8, 2025. According to investigators, he is the first cosmonaut in history to be convicted of treason.

The ISS crew consists of seven people. In addition to Zubrycki, these are: Japanese Takuya Onishi, Americans: Jonny Kim, Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers and the Russians: Kirył Pieskov and Sergei Ryżyk. In addition, from Thursday there is a four -member crew of the Axiom 4 mission, including Sławosz Uznański -Wiśniewski – the second Pole in space and the first at the international space station. Mission participants are to spend about two weeks; During this time, they will conduct experiments in the conditions of microgravity and get involved in educational activities.

From Kiev Iryna Hirnyk (PAP)

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