A Ukrainian pilot who vanished from the front line has been hiding from the law on the International Space Station (ISS). Alexey Zubritsky, 32, now branded a deserter by Kyiv, was recently sentenced to 15 years in absentia. Mr Zubritsky's military career began as an attack aircraft pilot for Ukraine's 204th Sevastopol Brigade in 2013.

However, following Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014, he defected to the Russian forces and served in the Rostov and Krasnodar regions. He then began cosmonaut training - the special name given to astronauts taught by the Russian Space Agency. On Tuesday, he was aboard a Soyuz-2a rocket to the ISS with Russian commander Sergey Ryzhikov and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim. The flight launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Pro-Kremlin media outlet Shot said: "Russians have exceptional respect for Alexey, are happy for his career and send greetings to the ISS."

Mr Zubritsky will be immediately arrested and have all his assets seized should he return to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office said: "Having committed high treason and desertion, he joined the armed forces of the Russian Federation, where he is still serving, in particular, as a test cosmonaut, [and] flight engineer of the ISS-72/73 crew [currently in space]."

The research mission is due to take eight months, bringing the population of the ISS up to 10.

NASA announced: "Throughout his eight-month stay aboard the orbital outpost, Kim will conduct scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, human research, and more."

Lieutenant Commander Kim joins fellow Americans Don Pettit, Anne McClain Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, plus Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner and Kirill Peskov.

The ISS has been circling Earth since November 1998 and is split into two segments—one Russian and one American—that function in a partially independent manner.