Cosmonaute shows the hole of the space station to calm the public

A cosmonaut on Monday showed a hole in the International Space Station that caused a loss of oxygen after Russia had hinted that the leak could have been deliberately provoked.

Cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev has published a video on social networks where he shows the small hole sealed in the wall of a Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft moored on the ISS.

"As you can see that everything is calm on board, we live as usual in peace and friendship," said the 43-year-old cosmonaut, who is making his first mission in space .

The hole was located August 30 after an air leak on the orbital station that currently houses Russian, American and German astronauts.

The head of the Russian Space Agency Dmitry Rogozin made a splash last week when he hinted that the hole could have been drilled deliberately, whether on Earth or in space.

A former Russian cosmonaut MEP said the hole could have been pierced by a mentally unbalanced astronaut.

The Russian Space Agency has convened a commission to investigate the incident, which it says will present findings in mid-September.

The photos of the hole had not been officially released, although NASA briefly posted an image in a video before deleting it.

The hole covered with black putty is hidden under a quilted flap, Prokopyev showed in a video that he had made to "dispel the rumors".

Prokopyev described how astronauts discovered "a 2 mm hole where our air came out" and covered it with three layers of putty.

"Please, do not worry, we're fine," said the smiling cosmonaut, reassuring viewers that the module is now "completely sealed."

"As you can see, we can easily be here without the space helmets and no one plugs the hole with a finger while they are writing in the media."

The Soyuz spacecraft is used to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. The hole is in a section that will not be used for return to Earth.

Prokopyev's video provoked appreciative comments on his social media page, with Diana Apalikova writing, "You're really good, yes, people have been too worried."

Others joked about the incident, as Alexey Bolkisev, who wrote: "Next time, try to punch holes when you are sober."

The head of the Russian Space Agency made a splash last week when he said a hole in the International Space Station had been deliberately bored.