This is a photo-op for Putin to put a positive spin on the fact that Russia soon will no longer be a crewed space-fairing nation.[1] From TFA: “Without coopera

This is a photo-op for Putin to put a positive spin on the fact that Russia soon will no longer be a crewed space-fairing nation.[1] From TFA: “Without cooperation with the west, the Russian space program is impossible in all its parts, including the military one,” said Pavel Luzin, a Russian military and space analyst. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight#Spacefaring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight#Spacefaring