However, the Indian flag remained untouched.
Japan, the US and the UK have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, while India has refrained from directly criticising Moscow for it actions.
At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on Wednesday, India also abstained from voting on the resolution against Russia. The Indian government has, instead, repeatedly called for both sides (Russia and Ukraine) to work out a peaceful agreement.
“The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful,” Rogozin’s tweet, roughly translated from Russian, read.
According to media reports, the Soyuz rocket – carrying 36 OneWeb satellites – was to launch on March 4 (Friday). But Roscosmos later said that the launch will not happen as per plan.
OneWeb is a global communications company that delivers broadband internet services worldwide. It is partially owned by the British government and the list of owners also includes Bharti Enterprises and SoftBank among others.
“Roscosmos demands guarantees OneWeb satellites will not be used for military purposes. Because of Britain’s hostile stance against Russia, another condition for the March 5 launch is that the British government withdraws from OneWeb,” the Russian agency tweeted.
According to a report by the BBC, the British government is under pressure to pull the launch of the rocket given the escalating war in Ukraine. The government said it is continuing to discuss the situation with its partners on OneWeb’s board, the BBC report added.
