Marina Vasilevskaya: I am proud of becoming first cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus!

At today’s solemn ceremony honouring Belarusian cosmonauts at the Palace of Independence, Marina Vasilevskaya, who was awarded the Hero of Belarus title by the Head of State, shared her emotions and impressions of the flight into space

Marina Vasilevskaya first of all shared her emotions and sense of pride, “I am proud that I became the first cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus! It is a great honour and a great responsibility for me.”

The cosmonaut warmly thanked Aleksandr Lukashenko for his great personal contribution to this project, “For support, assistance, and care. Thank you for allowing this project to be realised. I am proud that I was born in Belarus! I love my people!”

Marina Vasilevskaya also addressed the staff of the Academy of Sciences, the Roscosmos State Corporation and cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky with special words of gratitude, “I assure you that I will treat all issues of this project responsibly. I am very pleased and I am deeply touched. Everything that I am doing is coming from my heart. Being in space, I saw our Earth. It is amazing! It is powerful, big, beautiful, independent. I would like to wish all people to be kinder, to treat each other and their country with kindness," the cosmonaut shared her emotions and wishes.