Following reports of explosions and drone sightings in Russia amid the Ukraine war, local authorities briefly closed St Petersburg’s airspace. All flights were suspended at the city’s main airport, Pulkovo, Newsweek quoted local media as saying that a ‘UFO’ had been seen in the sky above the city.
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Some unverified videos have surfaced on social media showing a mysterious object in the sky over Russia’s second largest city. The decision to close the airfield was announced on the official Telegram channel of the city government, which, according to Newsweek, said, “Pulkovo airport temporarily does not accept or send aircraft,” without elaborating on the suspension. A later update said, “The skies are open over St. Petersburg: all temporary restrictions have been lifted.”
According to Newsweek, the Russian news outlet Baja reported that local authorities had introduced a “carpet” plan after an unidentified object was seen approaching the city. The outlet reported that fighter jets were sent to investigate as part of the plan, while the St Petersburg-based newspaper Fontank also claimed to have seen a ‘UFO’.
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A 10-year-old video purporting to show UFOs in Russia also resurfaced on social media but UFO Interests, a group that assesses the authenticity of ‘UFO’-related content and materials, said it traced the clip to a fake channel. Could go “UFO Today”.
To the claim, Russia replied, “These are very terrestrial objects – large flares with parachutes, dropped by our interceptors for training in aerial shooting.” ‘) is called. Location of maneuvers [sic] – only over large water surfaces (otherwise the flare parts could set fire to the earth), usually over Lake Ladoga.
