A collection ofSoviet-era documentsdetailing reports of unidentified aerial phenomena has been released, prompting renewed interest in how the former USSR recorded unusual sightings during the late Cold War period.
The material, translated into English and shared by journalistGeorge Knapp, includes accounts of unconventional aerial objects and reported encounters archived under what Soviet authorities described as 'Abnormal Atmospheric Phenomena.'
While the files do not provide independently verified evidence ofextraterrestrial activity, their publication offers a rare glimpse into how Soviet institutions documented and evaluated observations considered outside conventional explanation.
Thetranslated documents, spanning roughly 70 pages, are said to originate from once-classified Soviet records compiled during the 1970s and 1980s. According to Knapp, the archive was removed fromRussiain the early 1990s and has only recently been made widely accessible.
During theCold War, Soviet officials publicly dismissed UFO claims, frequently characterising them asWestern myths or propaganda. The newly released material indicates that, behind official statements, certain military and research bodies maintained systems for logging unusual aerial reports.
🚨 Declassified Soviet document DOC_0005517761 is wild:Late 1980s, Siberia-23 Soviet soldiers reportedly shot down a UFO during training. Five beings emerged, merged into a ball of light, and turned the soldiers to stone.The document is downloadable from the CIA website.pic.twitter.com/TDQfXcO42n
Entries reference observations made by civilians, military personnel and technical specialists. The documents describe procedures for collecting testimony, cataloguing sightings and assessing possible explanations, reflecting an organised approach to reports considered anomalous.
Among the more detailed entries is a report dated 13 February 1989 describing a large aerial object observed over Nalchik, in southern Russia. The document characterises the object asresembling a 'jellyfish' formand notes a sequence of coloured lights. Witnesses reportedly observed the phenomenon for more than an hour before it disappeared.
Other accounts describe alleged encounters involving unidentified entities. One entry records testimony from a young man who reported seeing luminous aerial streaks followed by an interaction with humanoid figures. The archive documents the witness' description without drawing firm conclusions.
🚨 Recently released documents smuggled out of Russia in the early 1990s show that the Soviet Union secretly investigated UFO sightings and alien encounters for decades.pic.twitter.com/rHFXa1IOfd
Source: International Business Times UK
