NASA astronaut who has feuded with Russian space director shares tweets on how to disable Russian tanks
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LOS ANGELES - Retired U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly, who has publicly sparred with the outspoken head of Russia's space agency following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has tweeted a thread by former U.S. Army commander Mark Hertling containing advice on how to disable Russian tanks.
"‘How to Sabotage your Russian Tank.’ Thank you General Hertling!" wrote Kelly in a tweet posted on May 5.
The thread contains a list of tips by Hertling on how to sabotage Russian tanks following reports of demoralized Russian troops in Ukraine sabotaging their own equipment.
"We understand some of you are sabotaging your tanks which means others may want to and do not know the best way. Here are some basic tips for how to render the T72 inoperable," Hertling wrote as part of a lengthy draft.
"1. Pour a lot of dirt, sand, or sugar into the fuel tanks to clog the lines. 2. Drain the oil in either the engine or transmission, and it will eventually burn out either system. 3. Since the T72 runs on a ‘Christie’ track/suspension, it’s easier to sabotage the road wheels," Hertling added.
"If you heed this advice you are likely to save your own lives and the lives of innocent Ukrainians and it’s the right thing to do. Don’t be on the wrong side of history," he continued.
Kelly, who famously spent nearly a year aboard the International Space Station alongside a Russian cosmonaut, is the twin brother of fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, now a U.S. senator from Arizona.
Scott Kelly’s tweets follow a contentious few weeks between both the U.S. and Russian space agencies, creating fears that Russia’s invasion would negatively impact the collaborative efforts of scientists and astronauts from both nations.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos and a longtime ally of Putin, posted a video of the US flag being removed from a Soyuz rocket.
In a tweet that has since been deleted, Rogozin allegedly told Kelly that the "death of the [ISS] will be on your conscience."
Russian-state media outlet RIA Novosti also shared edited footage from the ISS that appears to show cosmonauts waving goodbye to an American astronaut and departing without him before the Russian segment detaches from the rest of the space station.
"It kind of enraged me that the country that we had been in this international partnership for 20 years would take the time to make a video to threaten to leave behind one of the crew members they are responsible for," Kelly told the Wall Street Journal in March.
"They agreed to be responsible for his safety, getting him to the space station and getting him home. For me, that kind of just crossed the line."
Despite the concerns, NASA said that they are continuing to work with their Russian counterparts. Mark Vande Hei safely returned aboard a Soyuz capsule later that month.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.