On December 31, 2018, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, congratulated the residents of Turkmenistan on the New Year holidays.
The relevant information is posted on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan:
Fragment of an article on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
Also, this information is posted on the official website of the Embassy of Turkmenistan:
Fragment of an article from the official website of the Embassy of Turkmenistan.
Well, as an example, the information was posted in a major Russian media outlet, such as RIA Novosti:
Fragment of an article from the RIA Novosti website.
Let's get down to business.
Promotional video:
According to sources, the cosmonaut sent with his own hand from the ISS, congratulations from the residents of Turkmenistan, to which he attached a photo.
Here is the original of this photo:
Photo sent by Oleg Kononenko from the ISS.
Attentive people immediately suspected something was wrong.
“- Yes, this is golimous Photoshop !!! - They were indignant.
Indeed, if you look closely at the photograph, everything becomes obvious.
The flag of Turkmenistan looks very unlikely. Look at these folds that can only form when the flag is waving in the wind. For example on a flagpole. And the texture of the flag as a whole looks too uniform, like plastic.
If we pay attention to the left (for us) part of the picture, we will understand that ventilation (air circulation) works in such a way that the flow goes from the wall towards the astronaut. This is clearly visible on the wires and cables that are directed to the right side.
This, in turn, directly suggests that even if the flag were real, it would develop in the other direction, and not as shown in the picture.
The next factor is the book. It is clearly also subject to processing in the editor.
If you look closely at the top corner of the book, which is closer to the astronaut, you can easily spot an incorrect overlap.
Initially, the book the astronaut is holding has a narrower width, which can be traced by the position of the astronaut's hand, which holds the lower corner of the book, where the edge of the flag is also superimposed (photographed).
Left: Incorrect blending with offset. Right: The edge of the flag is overlaid over the hand in the editor.
In order not to be unfounded, I am also attaching the research of specialists who are professionally engaged in the recognition of photomontages (fakes).
The site fotoforensics.com, which analyzes photographs for processing, found that the colors of the flag and the book did not correspond to the general range of colors in the picture. The analysis also showed that the photo was modified using Adobe Photoshop CS6.
The flag and the book do not match the general background.
I also attach comparisons during the examination:
Comparison.
Thus, the photograph is clearly a fake.
No clarification has been received from Roscosmos. There are still no refutations on this fact.
The branch of Radio Liberty in Turkmenistan made an official request to Roscosmos with a question about the alleged congratulations of the cosmonaut to Turkmenistan. A spokesperson for the agency said that officials from the Turkmen government had asked the cosmonaut to congratulate Turkmenistan.
Fragment of an article from the Turkmen site of Radio Liberty.
The question remains open. So is it really, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, sent a picture with his own hand, or is this a lie of the Turkmen authorities ???
After all, the information that the cosmonaut himself sent the photo was published not just anywhere, but on such serious resources as the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the website of the Embassy of Turkmenistan.
Of course, an official response is required from Roscosmos and even from Oleg Kononenko himself.
From Oleg Kononenko, the answer must come first. Since he is a native of Turkmenistan.
He is a Chevalier of the Order of Turkmenistan "Star of the President", as well as a Hero of the Russian Federation.
And here is such an absurd situation that casts doubt on the reputation of the cosmonaut.
Moreover, the representatives of Turkmenistan officially announced that the cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko actually took with him to the ISS the flag and the book, which are shown in the picture.
Fragment of an article from the Turkmen site of Radio Liberty.
But if the flag of Turkmenistan and the book are really on board the ISS, then why did they use Photoshop ???
Wasn't there enough props …
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