Russian astronauts celebrate Victory Day with space views of Hero Cities
Moscow from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Sevastopol from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Minsk from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Novorossiysk from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Brest from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
St Petersburg from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Volgograd from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Murmansk from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Kerch from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Kiev from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Tula from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Odessa from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
Smolensk from space. Image: #InSpace / VKontakte
9 May 2017
Text
Elise Morton
Proving that not being on Earth doesn’t need to be an obstacle to celebrating 9 May, astronauts at Roscosmos have prepared a Victory Day gift — stunning images of the Hero Cities taken from space.
The photographs, published as part of the #InSpace (#ВКосмосе) project, depict Brest, Volgograd, Kerch, Kiev, Minsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Novorossiysk, Odessa, Sevastopol, Smolensk, St Petersburg and Tula. Any keen historians might be keen to point out that Brest is not, in fact, a hero city — the team at Roscosmos decided that Brest Fortress, which bears the title of Hero Fortress, was worthy of mention.
“Today is an important day, which you, Earthlings, call Victory Day!” reads the post on the #InSpace community page, later detailing that the photographs of ten cities were captured from the International Space Station, and the remaining three by Russian satellites.
Hero City was a Soviet title awarded for outstanding heroism during the Second World War. As well as being awarded to 12 cities, the Brest Fortress was granted the equivalent title of Hero Fortress.
Source: Afisha (in Russian)
