Ukrainian Astronomers Report a "Significant Number" of UFOs over Kyiv

Astronomers in Ukraine have reportedly observed a "significant number" of UFOs over Kyiv following an independent study of the phenomenon, according to a new preprint paper published August 23rd by the Ukrainian National Academy of Science's Main Astronomical Observatory.

This study comes in the wake of a June 9th announcement by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that they would commission a new study team to examine unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)—the current government nomenclature for UFOs.

Ukrainian scientists recorded observations from two meteor stations installed in Kyiv and in the Vinarivka village in the south of the Kyiv region, using color video cameras during the day and utilizing a "special observation technique for detecting and evaluating UAP characteristics."

The anomalous objects were divided into two categories: Cosmics, described as "luminous objects, brighter than the background of the sky," and Phantoms, which are "dark objects, with contrast from several to about 50 per cent."

"We present a broad range of UAPs. We see them everywhere," the paper read. "We observe a significant number of objects whose nature is not clear."

Scientists reportedly detected "flights of single, group, and squadrons of the ships." The main feature of which, they noted, is "extremely high speed."

Helmholtz established that the eye does not fix phenomena lasting less than one-tenth of a second. It takes four-tenths of a second to recognize an event. Ordinary photo and video recordings will also not capture the UAP. To detect UAP, you need to fine-tune (tuning) the equipment: shutter speed, frame rate, and dynamic range (14 - 16 stops).

Some bright objects, or Cosmics, were observed exhibiting "regular brightness variability in the rand of 10-20 Hz." Synchronized cameras were used to detect the variable objects at an altitude of 1170 km. The objects were said to flash for one hundredth of a second at an average of 20 Hz.

The dark objects, or Phantoms, in contrast, showed "color characteristics inherent in an object with zero albedos."

Albedo measures the diffuse reflection of solar radiation from a scale of 0, corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation, to 1, corresponding to a body that reflects all incident radiation.

"It is a completely black body that does not emit and absorbs all the radiation falling on it," they wrote. "We see an object because it shields radiation due to Rayleigh scattering. An object contrast makes it possible to estimate the distance using colorimetric methods. Phantoms are observed in the troposphere at distances up to 10-12 km. We estimate their size from 3 to 12 meters and speeds up to 15 km/s."

No conclusions were ultimately reached in the study, other than that the objects remain unexplained.

The reporting of UFOs over war zones is not without precedent. For instance, Allied pilots during World War II reportedly saw a number of anomalous lights collectively referred to as “foo fighters,” and other reports of unexplained craft have emerged out of every major conflict since.

Worldwide interest in UFOs has increased dramatically since the existence of the Pentagon’s Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP)—which reportedly ran from 2007 until 2012—was publicly revealed in 2017.

In the United States, congressional interest in the phenomenon continued to swell following the release of that information and, in 2019, several senators—including Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the then vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee—received briefings on encounters between Navy pilots and UFOs.

Then, in 2020, the Senate Intelligence Committee, led at the time by Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), included a directive in their Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 ordering the Director of National Intelligence (DNI)—in consultation with the Secretary of Defense—to create a report regarding “unidentified aerial phenomena.”

That led to the release last year of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s much anticipated preliminary assessment report on UFOs, which had many in the intelligence community expressing criticism of what they saw as its failure to offer any concrete explanations for most of the incidents analyzed, especially in light of concerns surrounding secret Russian or Chinese technology.

The Pentagon then promised to overhaul the task force responsible for investigating UFOs, which led to the Airborne Object Identification and Management Group (AOIMSG), which became the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) following an announcement in July that the DoD would be expanding their efforts to investigate UFOs due to the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022.

Congress’s increasing interest in UFOs was recently displayed during a House Intelligence subcommittee hearing held last May on the subject—the first of its kind in over 50 years.

The congressional hearing gave lawmakers the opportunity to question the Pentagon regarding the issue of UFOs and for government officials to explain their current position and outline plans to investigate the issue further.

There were few mentions of extraterrestrials during the hearing, although the Pentagon did express a particular interest in reports which include unusual flight characteristics, such as incredible speed, transmedium capabilities, and undetectable means of propulsion—characteristics similar to those described in the Ukrainian study mentioned above.

Opinions are divided about what these unidentified objects represent, with some believing them to be secret Russian or Chinese military projects, while others suspect a more otherworldly explanation.

The latter opinion has been bolstered recently by a draft bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023 which included language clarifying the definition of UFO for official purposes; language which some are saying suggests there are UFOs that are not of any earthly origin.

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