Russian media claim that authorities in the Rostov Oblast shot down a UFO within 50 miles of the Ukrainian border on the eve of January 3.
Local media shared a video of a small glowing object flying “in the wind” at approximately 5,000 feet altitude. Within seconds, Russian air defenses reportedly exploded the unknown object.
Vasily Golubev, the governor of Rostov, told citizens on Telegram, a messaging app, that “the decision was taken to liquidate it.” Golubev did not disclose more information about the object other than it was “in the shape of a ball” flying just above Sultan Sala, a village in the Myasnikovsky district.
“I urge everyone to remain calm. To ensure security, all forces and means are involved. The sky is covered with anti-aircraft defenses,” Golubev continued.
A witness on local media outlet Ostoroshna, Novosti (Caution, News) said, “there was a very strong explosion … everything in the house shook. We realized that the air defenses were in operation.”
This region is an active warzone and has experienced multiple drone attacks in the past.
This is not the first time Russian media has reported shooting down a UFO, and it is far from the most dramatic.
A 1987 publication from local newspaper Ternopil Vechirniy claimed that the Russian military shot down a UFO in the shape of a saucer hovering over a military training base in Siberia, a declassified CIA document revealed.
The newspaper alleged that 23 Russian soldiers watched as three humanoid figures emerged from the craft. However, the supposed extraterrestrials exuded a bright light that transformed them into “stone poles.”
While this Russian Roswell may contain more air than a misshapen weather balloon, the CIA claims to have a 250-page dossier on the alleged incident that contains “documentary photographs and drawings” as well as witness testimonies.
Reportedly, “CIA representatives referred to this case as ‘a horrific picture of revenge on the part of extraterrestrial creatures, a picture that makes one’s blood freeze.'”