Viral Video of a UFO Over St. Petersburg Is Outdated
The Claim
A video shows a UFO recently flying over St. Petersburg in Russia.
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Social media users recently circulated a video purporting to show a UFO flying over St. Petersburg in Russia. According to the claim, the airspace over the city was closed due to the flying object.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The video is older than claimed.
The Origins of the Video of a UFO in Russia
The video first surfaced in 2016. According to the archive of UFOs on Earth website, which no longer exists, the lights could be seen between March and April for several years, in the sky of Russia, over St. Petersburg or Ladoga lake.
According to an archived version of the website on Wayback Machine, the source of the lights has long been known as the launch of cluster flares by military exercise.
The website quoted an investigation by the Finnish UFO Research Association FUFORA in 2011: “These are very terrestrial objects – big flares with the parachutes, dropped for the training in aerial shooting by our interceptors.”
According to the report, such clusters of flares are called, in Russian military slang, “lustra.” And mentioned that place of maneuver was identified only over spacious water surfaces. Otherwise parts of the flare can make a fire on the earth.
According to the writer, as in every year, the Russian nation is the focus of these military launches. Despite the explanations given, UFOs and alien-related stories circulate “because people love mystery. However, the truth is rather boring.”
Claims of UFOs Over St. Petersburg
Similarly, in 2012, following claims about the appearance of an unidentified flying object over St. Petersburg, news outlets reported that the alleged UFOs turned out to be air targets dropped by military pilots during the planned exercise of “Ladoga-2012.”
Andrey Bobrun, head of the Western Military District's press service , told the journalists: “We set targets yesterday ... The first is usually the Su-27 aircraft. It drops the aviation target.”
Bobrun added: “The target is a cylindrical object inside which seven so-called torches were placed. They consist of a pyrotechnic lighting composition.”
According to Bobrun, after the target was separated from the plane. Seven torches flew over the city. Each torch had a parachute system which allowed them to disperse in the sky.
Did Russia Close Its Airspace Recently?
The Russian defense ministry said it has carried out air defense drills after St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport was forced to suspend all flights on Tuesday, February 28, for an hour, Reuters reported.
According to the agency, the closure was announced without providing any reasons. However the suspension came amid unconfirmed Russian media reports that an unidentified object was spotted in the area.
After the flights had restarted, the Russian defense ministry said it had been conducting drills which had involved the despatch of fighter jets in Russia's western air space.
Unidentified Objects Shot Down Over North America
This claim surfaced following reports on three unidentified flying objects that were recently shot down over North America.
Following this incident, conspiracy theories and misleading narratives mushroomed, linking the natural disasters hitting many regions, including Turkey's earthquake, to alleged extraterrestrial objects flying over the earth.
Fake imagery and computer-generated visuals went viral online, including videos that Misbar debunked.
The U.S. and Canadian military did not reveal the nature and origins of the flying objects yet.
Misbar’s previous blog about this subject found that these parties have ruled out some possibilities but have not confirmed any hypothesis yet.
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