Traditionally, it is believed that the birthplace of modern ufology is America. Many publications on this topic contain data on the Roswell incident in 1947, projects Blue Book, Grudge, Sign and others. All studies of alien activity on Earth have always been hidden from the public, so it is sometimes difficult, and sometimes impossible, to separate the truth from falsification.
Russia is a pioneer
But it turns out that the pioneer in the field of observing unidentified flying objects is not the United States, but the Russian Empire. Declassified archives contain a large number of documents dating from 1914-26, which contain data on the appearance of UFOs over Russian territory. But it is worth clarifying that the term UFO was introduced in 1952 by Captain Edward Ruppelt, the head of Project Blue Book. Archival papers describe this phenomenon truthfully and reliably, without embellishment and fabrications. And if we talk about America, similar studies there began 33 years later than ours.
The documents, classified as “Secret,” are located in the archives of the Gendarme Department, Cossack formations, the military department, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and contain data on the flights of luminous objects of various shapes and sizes.
Spheres, disks and other geometric figures were noticed in many areas of our vast country, including the locations of military warehouses with strategic reserves and factories. The military perceived unknown devices as a security threat and the machinations of enemy forces. They constantly worried the country's leadership. For example, the telegram of the Minister of War Mavrin, sent to Orenburg on July 21, 1914, contained a request to take measures to detect airplanes. He asked to give the order to the troops to shoot, if possible, at flying machines. The same applied to the guards. In August, a similar circular was sent to all the governors by the Minister of Internal Affairs. It spoke of devices noticed in the Perm, Kazan and Vladimir provinces. It was noted that there was reason to assume that there were secret enemy aeronautical stations, workshops and gasoline storage facilities on the territory of the empire. The document mentioned the need to take the most energetic measures to detect them. Any information that could help in the search had to be immediately reported to the police department and military authorities.
Eyewitness accounts
Systematic observations of the mysterious lights from the sky began. The office began to work: valuable instructions from above, reports and reports, reports from military personnel and police officers were received. A great deal of such evidence accumulated. But it was noted that the UFO flights did not resemble human activity.
Space rockets and devices had not yet been invented, so it was impossible to attribute these cases to tests of new classified military equipment, meteorite flights or mirages. These unique testimonies about UFOs still amaze ufologists.
For example, a report from the head of the police department of the village of Tokmak in the Semipalatinsk province on September 20, 1914, states that the observed devices were increasing and then slowing down, taking off and then descending above the ground again. And on September 28 of the same year, the residents of Tokmak observed a fireball moving across the sky. Peasant I. Z. Makhankov described it as a glowing object with an “egg-shaped form” about the size of a cart, and three girls described it as a “large oval-shaped table.”
Another observation recorded on paper reported that a peasant, S. K. Diky, from the village of Mikhailovskoye in the Petropavlovsk district, noticed a cone-shaped yellowish-red column of fire in the sky on December 30, 1914, which was surrounded by a black ribbon in the middle, about 5 vershoks long. Soon this fire disappeared, and three fireballs appeared in its place. This fire moved in the direction of the village of Yavlenskoye, and later, having gained altitude, flew away in another direction.
A similar message was received from Lieutenant Colonel G. F. Putintsev from Pishpek district on the same matter. He reported that he had noticed the light of a star located in the northwest, which was special. Moreover, the star itself made progressive movements downwards and to the sides.
The size of a peasant's hut
Many people saw fiery cigars, balls and disks that emitted a bright light that flooded the entire area. The luminosity of the UFOs changed, they would split up and then merge into one figure. Some of the saucers had unusual characteristics that were not inherent in the flying machines known at that time: airships, airplanes and aerostats. The reliability of the observations is confirmed by the coincidence of the smallest details noted by different observers.
Ambushes of gendarmes were organized in the places of the supposed landings of the “lights”, which, however, did not bring any results. The appearance of luminous objects continued, but no material traces remained after them, and therefore the excitement of spy mania ceased. The order of the Minister of War to fire on the “enemy devices” was cancelled.
Versions
In pre-revolutionary Russia, all incoming information about UFO flights was not only systematized, it was thorough and strictly objective. It is clear that the descriptions of fiery wanderers from illiterate peasants are, on the whole, absolutely identical to the data received from modern eyewitnesses. Only now they do not compare them with a vat, a hut or a cart and use modern meters, not vershoks and sazhens.
But, as before, flying lights only cause fear and bewilderment among witnesses, and the purpose of their flights remains unsolved.
Experts put forward many opinions about these phenomena. Some believe that these are natural formations, natural energy structures that arise in the atmosphere due to geophysical processes. But how then can the almost intelligent movements of balls and other objects be explained? Others perceive them as extraterrestrial spacecraft. There are other versions, but in any case, it is too early to put an end to this issue.
Only one thing is clear – this is a great mystery, the nature of which is unknown to people.
