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 Classification:   unclassified          Status:        [STATI
 Report Type:      Foreign Press Note Report Date:
 Report Number:    FB PN 90-123       UDC Number:
 FULL TEIT OF ARTICLE:
 1.  Leading Soviet newspapers have continued to carry numerous
 reports on UFO sightings in the Soviet Union (see Foreign Press Note
 FB PN 89-292 dated 22 November 1989 entitled "USSR: Media Report
 Multitude of UFO Sightings").  This coverage reached a new level when
 the 19 April issue of RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA carried a lengthy report on
 UFO sightings on 21 March, including comments by Col Gen of Aviation
 Igor Maltsev, chief of the Main Staff of the Soviet Air Defense
 Forces.
 2.  The report in RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA consists of excerpts of
 "documents" submitted by Colonel General Maltsev reporting "visual
 observations" of UFO sightings on 21 March, as well as two
 photographs; the paper was able to publish excerpts from only a few
 of the "more than 100 visual observations" compiled by the commanders
 of several air defense units of the Moscow Military District.  After
 radar stations and aircraft assigned to the Air Defense Forces were
 placed on alert on 21 March and ordered to attempt to detect and
 identify an object or objects flying in the area of
 Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, a pilot made the following report:
 3.  "I, Lt Col A.A. Semenchenko, received the command to go on an
 alert exercise.  At 2138, I received the command to take off.  Once
 in the air, in the region of Pereslavl, I received my task of
 detecting and identifying a target at an altitude of 2,000 meters.
 Following a true course of 220 degrees, I visually detected the
 target, designated by two flashing white lights, at 2205; it was
 ahead and to the right, at an angle of 10 degrees.  The target
 altered its altitude by distances of up to 1,000 meters and altered
 its direction of flight.  With the permission of the command post, I
 locked my sights onto the radiation after checking to be sure that my
 weaponry was switched off.
 4.  "The target did not respond to the 'identify--friend or foe'
 request.  In addition to the target, three or four regularly
 scheduled airliners could be seen on the screen.  As ordered by the
 command post, I carried out a banked turn.  While completing the
 turn, I observed a luminous phenomenon, reminiscent of the Aurora
 Borealis but with weak intensity, to the north and northwest.  I
 approached the target to within a range of about 500-600 meters and
 passed above it, trying to define its character.  I saw only two
 bright flashing white lights..  I briefly saw the silhouette of the
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 target against the background of the illuminated city.  It was
 difficult to determine its nature or classification due to the
 limited lighting.  On order from the command post, I ended my mission
 and returned to the airfield.  I landed with 700 liters of fuel still
 remaining.  The weather in the region was 0-10."
 5.  Between 2000 and 2400 on 21 March, UFOs were reported in the
 regions of Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Novoselye, Zagorsk, Yakovlevo,
 Ploshevo, Dubki, Kablukovo, Fryazino, and Kirzhach.  The RABOCHAYA
 TRIBUNA report includes the following excerpts from observation
 reports:
 6.  A radar observation post in the Pereslavl-Zalesskiy region: "A
 shining object with red lights at an azimuth of 260-270 degrees and a
 range of about 40 kilometers, moving at a speed many times greater
 than that of an aircraft, appeared at 2119.  A shining object with
 white lights and the same parameters was following it.  At 2135 the
 object with the luminous red lights disappeared at an azimuth of 220
 degrees and at an undetermined range.  At 2140 there were alternate
 appearances and disappearances of the second object with white lights
 at an azimuth of 270-250 degrees and range of 40-100 kilometers.  At
 2140 there was a steady appearance and hovering of the object at an
 azimuth of 270 degrees.  At 2155 the object disappeared at an azimuth
 of 240 degrees and a range of 40 kilometers.  At 2157 the object
 appeared in the parameters indicated above.   At 2159 an airplane was
 observed at an azimuth of 250 degrees, a range of 30-50 kilometers,
 and a course of 330 degrees.  The object was turning and, at great
 speed, approaching the airplane.  After an approach to a distance of
 about 20 kilometers, the object disappeared from the field of
 observation and then appeared again to the rear and above the plane.
 The object was moving in an arc at an azimuth of 270 degrees.  At
 2201 the object was hovering in place at an azimuth of 190-200
 degrees and a range up to 100 kilometers.  At 2203 a fighter aircraft
 appeared in the field of observation at an azimuth of 240 degrees.
 While the fighter was approaching the object, the latter disappeared.
 At 2205 the object appeared at an azimuth of 190-220 degrees,
 hovered, and, after 1-2 minutes, disappeared."
 7.  Captain V. Birin: "The object looked like a flying saucer with
 two very bright lights along the edges.  Its diameter was
 approximately 100-200 meters, judging by the shining lights.  A less
 intense light, which looked like a porthole, could be seen between
 the two bright lights.  After the object receded, a red light with
 average intensity remained.  The trajectory depended on the flashing
 of the bright side lights: the more often they flashed, the faster
 the speed of the UFO, and vice versa.  While hovering, the object
 extinguished its lights almost completely.  At 2230 the object headed
 off in the direction of Moscow.  I am enclosing a drawing of it."
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 8.  Captain V. Ivchenko: "I could not make out the contours of the
 object, but I clearly saw two lights flashing with a definite
 periodicity.  The illumination from these lights could be compared
 with a photoflash.  The UPO was carrying out an 'S-turn' flight,
 gradually approaching our city; its route passed from east to vest at
 an angle of sight of approximately 75 degrees relative to the town.
 I distinguished two aircraft near the object.  I am enclosing the
 approximate route of the UFO."
 9.  Captain N. Filatov: "To all visual perceptions, the object was
 rotating in a horizonal plane around its own axis, since the light
 sources merged and divided in turn.  The magnitudes of the sources of
 intensity with respect to power, intensity, and luminous flux were
 significantly greater than for signal lights of the aircraft which
 were flying around in our region at that time.  The lights of the UPO
 flashed every 2-3 seconds. The object was located in the direction of
 Zagorsk.  The trajectory of its movement was an 'S-turn,'
 horizontally and vertically."
 10.  Captain I. Lapin: "At 2200, the flashing lights of the object
 vanished for 5 minutes, then a sharp light flared up.  An entire
 cloud was illuminated and, after that, the object appeared again.
 Two aircraft accompanied it, with red identification lights.  After
 dropping in altitude, the object flew away at great speed in the
 direction of Moscow.  It left a red luminescence of average intensity
 behind in the clouds.  I observed the object until 2240.  I
 experienced no sensation whatsoever."
 11.  A photograph with the following caption is included with the
 report: "In the picture--the "saucer" (paired points to the left) and
 an aircraft approaching them (the two lights to the right),
 photographed from a distance of 40 kilometers.  Exposure was 4-5
 seconds and, consequently, the flashing lights appeared on the film
 several times, corresponding to the progression of the UFO." It is
 noted that the contours of the UFO and the aircraft cannot be
 determined from the picture because the outlines are obscured by the
 bright lights.
 12.  The report ends with the following comments by Colonel General
 Maltsev: "I am not a specialist on UFOs and, therefore, I can only
 correlate the data and express my own belief.  According to the
 evidence of these eyewitnesses, the UFO represented itself as a disk
 with a diameter of 100-200 meters.  Two pulsating lights were
 positioned on its sides.  When the object flew in a horizontal plane,
 the line of lights was parallel to the horizon.  During vertical
 movement, it rotated and the line was perpendicular to the ground.
 Moreover, the object rotated around its axis and performed an
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 'S-turn' flight both in the horizontal and vertical planes.  Next,
 the UFO hovered above the ground and then flew at a speed that was
 2-3 times that of modern jet fighters.  All of the observers noticed
 that the flight speed was directly related to the flashing of the
 side lights--the more often they flashed, the higher the speed.   The
 objects flew at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 meters.  The
 movement of the UFO was not accompanied by sound of any kind and was
 distinguished by its startling maneuverability.  It seemed that the
 UFO was completely devoid of inertia.  In other words, they had
 somehow 'come to terms' with gravity.  At the present time,
 terrestrial machines could hardly have any such capabilities.  The
 object was observed as a 'pip' from a radar target on the screens of
 aircraft radar sights and on the screens of electronic surveillance
 units.  At one station, no observation was established."
 13.  In an editor's note, RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA assesses Colonel General
 Maltsev's documents as "substantial confirmation" that UFOs, piloted
 by intelligent beings of some sort, have been visiting the USSR.
 14.  In related developments, the 15 April issue of RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA
 had published a report from a Major V. Stroynetskiy, who stated that
 he and several hundred other witnesses have repeatedly observed UFOs
 over the Yaroslavl Highway, many of which "looked like great
 triangular milk cartons." The objects were flying at altitudes that
 Stroynetskiy estimated at 500-800 meters.  He said that at times the
 whole body of the object "scintillated" with illumination, while at
 other times this illumination vanished, whereupon the objects
 "flashed and became irridescent with lights of various colors." He
 said that the objects could fly at great speeds, make sudden stops in
 mid-air, or suddenly break off in a lateral direction from the line
 of flight "at which time they emitted rays." He said that he had the
 impression "that the flashes of light of the objects are, in some
 way, connected with this movement.  The greater the frequency and
 brightness of the flashes, the greater the speed of the UFOs." In an
 editor's note, the paper noted that "as this issue was being put
 together, information came into the editorial office: units of the
 Air Defense Forces near Moscow had gotten a fix on the position of an
 object in the Zagorsk region." The issue also included a report
 comparing recent UFO sightings in the USSR with similar events in
 Belgium.
 15.  RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA on 19 April, referring to its 15 April report,
 commented in its editor's note accompanying the Maltsev documents and
 the "saucer" photograh cited above: "The events that occurred along
 the Yaroslavl Highway are quite remarkable.  They strike a major blow
 at those who hold the hypothesis that UFOs are related to atmospheric
 phenomena.  Order can be sensed in the movement of the object in the
 photograph, and it is obvious that the lights of the object are
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 firmly fixed in relation to each other.
 marked by chaos."
 Atmospheric phenomena are
 16.  The 11 April issue of SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA had reported that the
 Belgian Society for the Study of Space Phenomena had called a press
 conference at which journalists were shown a video of UPOs that had
 recently penetrated Belgian air space.  The film was made by a
 citizen of Brussels on the night of 30-31 March and was claimed to
 show triangular UFOs, with bright lights outlining their edges and
 with weaker sources of light flashing in their centers which
 reportedly were clearly visible to many observers as they moved at an
 altitude of about 400 meters.  The Belgian air force was placed on
 alert and F-16 fighters were ordered to intercept the objects. The
 objects disappeared as the aircraft approached but not before two
 radar stations had registered them on their screens.
 17.  The following paragraphs describe only a few of the many Soviet
 newspaper and journal articles on UFOs appearing in recent months.
 Unlike the sightings described in the articles listed above, air
 force aircraft and radar stations were not involved in the
 observations:
 18.  The 5 April issue of SOVETSKAYA ESTONIA reported that many
 observers, including one of its own correspondents, had recently
 observed UPOs flying over Estonia.  The UPOs reportedly hovered over
 power lines along the Tallinn Highway, and the newspaper published
 what it called photographs of them sent by correspondent Ye. Kapova.
 19.  The 4 April issue of RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA reported that an ethylene
 pipeline inspector for the Nizhnekamsk Petrochemical Authority in the
 Bashkir Autonomous Republic, who had been ordered by his dispatcher
 to check his run of pipe after monitoring instruments began to
 fluctuate erratically, reported back that a UFO was hovering over the
 area where the pipe was buried and that rays emanating from the
 disk-shaped object were touching the ground above the pipeline.
 20.  The 24 March issue of VECHERNAYA MOSKVA reported that a
 scientist, Vladimir Azhazha, had been appointed as the head of the
 new All-Union Interbranch Ufological Scientific-Coordination Center,
 which is affiliated with the USSR Academy of Sciences.  It is
 reportedly the first center to represent the USSR as a whole in
 research concentrated on the UFO phenomenon.
 21.  The 3 March issue of SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA published an article
 proposing possible explanations for such anomalous phenomena as UFOs.
 22.  The March issue of the military journal KOMMUNIST VOORUZHENNYKH
 SIL published a 7-page article on UFOs, including a section that
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 refers to "the political character" of cycles of attitudes toward the
 publication of reports on UFO sightings.  The article notes that
 during politically conservative periods, Soviet censors have been
 able to prohibit the publication of such reports.  Unlike those "cold
 periods," the Soviet Union is now in "hot times" and the public is
 being encouraged to focus its attention on UFOs.  The author of the
 article points out that even the prestigious Academy of Sciences has
 established official organs to study UFOs and disseminate information
 about them.
 23.  The 22 February issue of RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA published a report by
 Krasnoyarsk militiamen who stated that two disk-shaped UFOs had
 followed their patrol cars, moving slowly above them in a "parallel
 course" for 3 or 4 kilometers.  The militiamen maintained that when
 the patrol cars stopped at the village of Drokino, one of the
 "saucers" landed on a hill near the cars and harrassed them with rays
 of yellow and red light before flying away.
 24.  The 17 February issue of RABOCHAYA TRIBUNA devoted its entire
 fourth page to UFOs, including a discussion of the question as to
 whether or not UPOs are being flown by extraterrestrials.
 25.  The 24 December 1989 issue of TRUD published a report from two
 deputy chiefs of the Moscow-based 27th Militia Division who claimed
 that they and their subordinates had tracked a slowly moving UFO
 flying at low altitude through the outskirts of Moscow.  According to
 TRUD, a member of the expert commission on anomalous phenomena in the
 USSR Academy of Sciences, Yu. Platov, states that there is a
 possibility that the militiamen mistook Venus, seen "through complex
 atmospheric conditions," for a UFO.
 26.  The 5 December issue of SOTSIALISTICHESKAYA INDUSTRIYA described
 a recent Japanese expedition to the site of the Tunguska meteorite in
 Siberia.  In theory, a great meteor exploded there in 1908,
 destroying trees over an area of hundreds of square miles, although
 no meteorite has ever been found.  The Japanese team stated that
 their research at the site clearly indicated that the explosion had
 been caused by the crash of a nuclear- powered spacecraft.  The
 Japanese scientists erected a monument at the site--the first
 memorial in the USSR to commemorate a UFO, according to
 SOTSIALISTICHESKAYA INDUSTRIYA.
 27.                                                  FB PN 90-123
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