Ufology News Special Bulletin - No 04 2013

Magazine Overview

Title: НОВОСТИ УФОЛОГИИ (Ufology News)
Issue: Special Bulletin #4, 2013
Publisher: EIBC (EIBС)
Content Focus: UFO/UAP investigations, declassified materials, witness testimonies, and scientific analysis.

Declassified Materials: Unidentified Flying Object over Sotnitsino, Ryazan Region

This section details a significant UFO sighting and landing event that occurred in Sotnitsino, Ryazan region, in 1985. The report, designated "K-062 'P'-N-86/2 LA 1985", case "SLEDS", was received by the group on November 21, 1986, with information provided by A.A. Efimova, who had submitted a report to the Central Committee of the Academy of Sciences (TsKAYa) in August 1985. The report is based on witness testimonies from Polina Vasilievna Shishkova and Marina Vasilievna Privizentseva.

Witness Testimony: Marina V. Privizentseva

On April 9, 1985, at 10 PM, Marina and her sister Polina were sitting on the porch of their house, located at the edge of the village near the Aleshnya River. They observed a prolonged, fiery sphere appear over a hill. The object, described as resembling a prolonged cup, was the size of a five-walled house. It approached silently, which they found unsettling. The object's color changed from fiery red to the color of a bright electric lamp, with the center being a paler pink. Bright sparks, reminiscent of Bengal fire, were ejected from the center. The object then hovered, moved back and forth, and approached their house. At a distance of 150-200 meters, it emitted a bright, spotlight-like beam, about 5 meters wide, which swept across the ground. The beam then turned towards them, illuminating them and the porch. The sudden light caused geese to cry out, and the witnesses felt paralyzed.

Witness Testimony: Polina V. Shishkova

Polina Shishkova added that she observed lines on the object's surface resembling triangles and noted the object's rotation as it retracted its beam. She described the 'cup' shape as being slightly elongated when rotated.

Witness Testimony: Pavel F. Indeev (School Director)

Pavel F. Indeev, the director of the local school in Sotnitsino, stated that he and other people visited the landing site the day after the event. They observed that the grass was burned in rows, approximately 6-7 cm apart.

Report from P.A. Pochitalin

On July 10, 1985, P.A. Pochitalin accompanied a group to the landing site. He noted that the grass in the landing area was distinctly different from the surrounding grass, appearing more succulent, but the tips of the blades were burned and had a brown hue. He took two photographs of the site.

The report includes an anonymous comment suggesting that opinions on the event varied. Some claimed the object was seen long before it reached Sotnitsino, flying over forests and villages. A local committee chairman suggested it was a test of a new apparatus. Others identified it as a typical UFO due to its strange shape and silent flight. The comment questions why a terrestrial apparatus would land near a village and emit a bright beam, suggesting that the object's high speed and instantaneous disappearance indicated capabilities beyond known human technology, which would have disintegrated under such stress.

Evaluation of UFO Landing Case Studies in the Gorky Region (1989-1990)

This section, authored by V.D. Grachev, T.N. Dobrynina, E.A. Ermilov, G.A. Kalistratov, V.Yu. Mikhalev, and A.B. Uspensky, analyzes UFO landing cases from 1989-1990. The authors note a significant increase in reported UFO sightings and landings across the country during this period. They emphasize the importance of evaluating the credibility of these reports, which can be affected by misinterpretation or the tendency of witnesses, particularly children, to embellish their accounts.

The study highlights the difficulty in conducting comprehensive investigations at many landing sites due to contamination from industrial waste and proximity to sources of electromagnetic interference. Examples are provided:

• Arzamas, 1989: A spherical UFO landing with a 'creature' emerging was reported by schoolchildren. The site was near an industrial enterprise and a heated pipeline, making technical analysis difficult. The investigation relied on detailed interviews with the children and parents, assessing their psychological state, and using biolocation to identify a circular structure.
• Viksa, 1989: A daytime UFO landing was reported by schoolchildren. Similar to the Arzamas case, the site was near industrial facilities, hindering technical studies. Biolocation and witness testimony evaluation were again used as criteria for credibility.

The authors discuss the challenges of investigating UFOs, including the possibility of misinterpreting signals due to operator inexperience, atmospheric phenomena, flocks of birds, or reflections from local objects. They also note that some visually observed UFOs may not be detected by radar, especially if they move vertically at high speeds or hover near tall structures. The frequency of the radar might also coincide with the plasma frequency of the UFO.

Features of Radar Observations of UFOs

E.A. Ermilov discusses the potential of radar systems to supplement visual observations of UFOs. He explains that the 'radar-metal model' of UFOs can account for variations in radar detection based on electron plasma concentration and temperature. Specific radar signatures that may indicate a UFO include:

• Variations in target brightness or temporary disappearance.
• Pulsations in plasma around a UFO during movement or hovering, which can expand the reflected signal spectrum and be detected by radar systems, even those with moving target indication (MTI) enabled.
• The appearance of specific, unidentified interference.
• The detection of a target 'blip' that appears without prior 'request' or 'friend-or-foe' identification, which should be flagged as a potential UFO.

However, the authors caution that inexperienced radar operators can misinterpret signals, leading to false reports. These misinterpretations can arise from:

• 'Doubling' of target marks due to improper modulator adjustment.
• Reception of signals from similar radar systems.
• Signals from atmospheric inhomogeneities or vortices.
• Signals from flocks of birds.
• Signals from distant targets detected through atmospheric 'mirroring' (temperature inversions), leading to incorrect altitude estimations.
• Reflected signals from local objects (pipes, towers, buildings) due to antenna side lobes or rear lobes.

In some cases, visually observed UFOs may not be detected by radar, or they might be missed if they ascend vertically at high speeds, passing through the radar's detection beam too quickly. Similarly, objects hovering near local structures at distances below the radar's resolution range might not be detected. Radar frequency matching the plasma resonance frequency of the UFO or detection in the radar's near zone, where signals are masked by reflections from local objects, can also pose challenges.

To improve UFO detection and identification, the authors recommend using radio vision methods with broadband signals that can provide characteristic 'signatures' for objects of various shapes.

References

The article cites two references:

1. Ermilov E.A. (1988). Possibilities of modern active radar systems in detecting and identifying unusual aperiodic atmospheric formations. In: Theses of the school-seminar "Aperiodic rapidly occurring phenomena in the environment", Part III. Tomsk, TPI.
2. Bolkhovsky L.V., Ermilov E.A. (1990). Prospects for radio vision of atmospheric objects with anomalous characteristics. In: Reports of the Second All-Union interdisciplinary scientific-technical school-seminar "Aperiodic rapidly occurring phenomena in the environment". Tomsk, TPI.

List of Declassified Materials

The issue also includes a list of declassified materials related to UFOs, primarily from the USSR/Russia, covering various topics such as:

• UFO landings and sightings in different regions (Sotnitsino, Kondopoga, Gorky region).
• Experiments on reviving relic bacteria.
• Methodological guidelines for processing and storing information on anomalous phenomena.
• Expedition reports (Gissar).
• Information coding for UFO catalogs.
• Studies on anomalous phenomena and the "Petrozavodsk phenomenon."
• Radar observation of UFOs.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on UFO/UAP phenomena, presenting witness testimonies, investigative reports, and scientific analyses. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into these phenomena, aiming to declassify and disseminate information, while also acknowledging the challenges and limitations in investigation. The inclusion of declassified materials and references to scientific studies suggests an effort to approach the subject with a degree of rigor, even when dealing with extraordinary claims. The recurring theme is the persistent presence of unexplained aerial phenomena and the ongoing efforts to understand them through various investigative methods.