Novitsky asked not to discount him and other cosmonauts with experience in the Air ForceMOSCOW, May 23 – RIA Novosti.
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, a former attack pilot, asked Russian President Vladimir Putin at the state awards ceremony not to "discount" him and other cosmonauts with aviation experience when they will no longer be able to fly into orbit.
"I, as an officer who worked as an aircraft manufacturer in the Botlikh district of Dagestan, as an attack pilot who performed tasks for the intended purpose, now, as an astronaut pilot, I want to assure that I and my colleagues in the cosmonaut squad are always ready to fulfill any tasks set by the Supreme commander-in-chief, tasks set by our people. And even not only for peaceful purposes, but, if necessary, for military, for combat purposes," Novitsky said.
"We ask you not to discount us when we are unable to perform a space flight for health reasons. And in general, we are normal healthy men," added the 51-year-old native of Belarus, who received the title of Hero of Russia in 2014.
Novitsky thanked the president, who presented him with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland of the III degree after the third flight to the ISS, for the high appreciation of the crew's work in orbit. He also said "simple human thanks" to the participants of the special operation, who also received state awards on this day.
The cosmonaut is sure that "the guys on the front line" are having a hard time right now. At the same time, he stressed that Russia has never had easy times. "At all times, our enemies, mainly Western ones, have tried to seize our land, enslave our people, tried to destroy our ancestral gene of invincibility, the gene of our national power, the gene of self-sacrifice, if it is necessary for the life of a neighbor. The gene that probably wakes up in every Belarusian, Dagestani, Buryat, Jew when we see a direct threat to our native land, our relatives and friends," Novitsky said.
"And for some reason, none of the leaders of Western states - experienced, elected or simply appointed - have the wit to understand that we are invincible, simply invincible. We can just distract ourselves for a while, excuse me, slap everyone's necks and return to a peaceful way of life again," the cosmonaut stated.
Novitsky's crewmate Pyotr Dubrov, who made his first flight to the International Space Station, received the Hero of Russia Star from the hands of the president. He thanked his relatives and friends who helped him in his life, noting that astronauts can safely work at the station thanks to the huge number of people working on Earth.
"These are the creators of our most reliable space technology, and those who teach, prepare us for our space flights, who accompany us, send us into orbit and meet us, help us rehabilitate. It is only thanks to their work that we are still rightfully considered one of the leading space powers," Dubrov said.
The cosmonaut added that it is a great honor for him to be in the same formation with those who received their award for exploits on the battlefield. "Today, when once again the masks have been thrown off and Western Nazism has shown its true face to the world, the great-grandchildren, grandchildren of those who defended us during the Second World War, also stood up on the battlefields not only to protect innocent people, but also humanity itself. Many thanks and a low bow to all of you," Dubrov said.
