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Roswell, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T…. These words bring up images of little green men, flying saucers, and a funky little alien with heartburn. For years, we have heard about the secret “Blue Book” the government kept, logging all its information about UFOs and related material.

On a reader’s request, I began to do some checking into a related line of research. It seems that our Commie friends were also keeping tabs on our otherworldly visitors. With the fall of the Soviet Union, this hitherto fore secret material became declassified. According to, among other sources, the Russian newspaper “Pravda” (trans. “Truth”), the KGB kept its own records, known to ufologists as the “Blue Folder”. One retired colonel, Sokolov, described the fervor, “In the course of 10 years, the whole Soviet Union was one enormous listening post…”

Of course, you can’t have UFOs and government secrets without a little controversy. In September 1991, Mr. Popovich, the president of the All-Union Ufology Association (ufology being the study of UFOs), sent a request to the then reorganizing, KGB (now the FSB). Mr. Popovich requested documents which had been recently declassified pertaining to UFO activity in the Soviet Union. In October 1993, the request was repeated. The reply came that the documents had been sent by registered mail in 1991. The 124 pages of documents had disappeared.

A Swedish journalist allegedly purchased the vanished “Blue Folder” for 500 German Marks from someone in Russia. In 1997, the documents were shown to ufologist Mikhail Gerschtien by another ufologist from Moscow. Gerschtien eventually got his own copies, seemingly authentic, being stamped with a registration mark identifying it as to be delivered only to P.R. Popovich. The files I was able to find were distributed by Gerschtien.

The “Blue Folder” contains reports, signed by the witnesses, of their various encounters with UFOs. They come from a variety of people: commercial and military pilots, radar controllers, airport personnel, and others. Each report was witnessed usually by more than one person.

Here is an excerpt from one report:

Reported observation anomalous appearance in the region city Miniralniye Vodi (15 Dec 1987)

15th December in the 23rd hour on board plane 65798 was in contact 10-15 minutes while on flight 6808 Volograd-Tblisi (on the beam Nakchika), which gave information that a flying object, which was similar to an airplane, with bulging and engaged lights, was on a intercept course. Checking the airspace with the help of radar on all systems failed to show any flying apparatus. After approximately 3 minutes, from the reports given from on board plane 65798, the UFO disappeared. The movement of the UFO was observed by plane 65139 on flight 6352, approximately at 23.20. From the words of the crew, the UFO trailed a lone fiery train, which threw sparks. From the reports of both crews, the UFO discontinued its existence after flashes similar to explosions.

At 23 hours 30 minutes, the shift supervisor of the Kretovy airport from Novopavlovki called and reported that above a populated area an airplane was flying and burning and was trailing a fiery tail. After a flash like an explosion (although no sound effects accompanied it) the airplane disappeared. No pieces or effects of the exploding airplane were found, according to the person filing at the Apollonskaya station….

Explanatory note

The 15th of December, about 23 hours and 20 minutes, I was accompanying my wife’s sister home, Komarova Irina Vladimirovna, who had lingered as a guest at our home while watching the movie “Oshibka residenta”. Walking in the city Stavropol in the area of the store “Produkti No. 15″ and apt. complex no. 18 on Frolenko street, my attention was drawn to a glowing object flying in the sky, which was similar in form and light placement to the Tu-154 on descent. The landing lights, clearly visible as 3 glowing circles, lit up the corpus of the airplane … [which] was visible a long cigar-like hull of a grey color. The object was at an altitude of about 50 meters, about 350 meter from the point of observation and moved fluidly parallel to Dovatortsev street in the direction of the center of the city.

My companion also saw the flying object, and was surprised at the late appearance of an airplane, as the airport at this hour was already closed. After a few meters, we saw the object again, but now its contours were almost invisible as the point of observation was almost perpendicular to the object. That which interested me was that the object moved silently, which is unlike an aircraft. Other than 3 lights in front, 10-15 meters from them was another light. …The movement of the object, until it disappeared from our field of vision, the first time was 20-25 seconds and the second time 30 seconds.

Report

I am reporting to you, that on 15.12.87, patrolling around the city with the sergeant Radchenko and Lieutenant Roman, we saw that from the direction of Cherkesska in the direction of Min. Vod. there was moving, without sound, an object, similar to a flaming airplane. It moved with a low velocity, in front there was a blinding projector, lighting everything around. We observed all this for 2-3 minutes.

Commander department RPPC–Lieutenant militia Varyutin.

This is an incomplete example from several reports I was able to find. You may think this something silly like from the X-Files considering that the UFO they observed bears quite a resemblance to the old Flash Gordon spacecraft, but these are not the only documented sightings in the former Soviet Union. Allegedly, personnel from the Soviet military not only saw these UFOs, but were able to shoot more than one out of the sky. In one case they were unable to open the UFO and it mysteriously disappeared out of a locked hanger. Another account tells of them finding Little Green Men (LGM) which reside now in some hidden location similar to our Area 51. Their documented sightings go back further than that though.

A professor at MGU, the Moscow State University recorded a striking observation. Here are his words:

“On September, 1, 1808, at 8 o’clock and 7 minutes in the afternoon, in the sky, clear and sown with stars, a phenomenon appeared, incomparable in its beauty and rigor, as well as in radiance and enormous size, to anything seen before. As we noticed it, attracted by the loud cracking sound, it was rising in an arch over the horizon, from 55’ to almost 90’. Having passed this distance in an instant, it stopped among the clouds as if over the Kremlin and looked like a long straight plate some nine arshin (6.35 meter) long and half arshin (0.35 meter) thick.

Then on its front edge, turned to the South-West, an oval flame flared, some two arshin (1.4 meter) long and one and a half arshin (1.4 meter) thick, with a flame that can only be compared to the radiance of burning phosphor.

Floating in a circle without open fire or sparkle, it nonetheless lighted everything around as broad daylight; then the flame went out, the light disappeared, but the bright plate remained and quite smoothly went perpendicularly upwards, reached the stars and still could be seen for some two minutes and then, without disappearing, it became invisible due to the extraordinary height.”

So, is this for real? Do UFOs exist? Can we trust those crazy, crafty Russians? I don’t know, but there is something out there which is, at the very least, causing mass hallucinations. Although there are thousands or even tens of thousands of UFO sightings reported, the Soviets kept extremely meticulous records. It can make even the hardened skeptic pause and reflect.

Further Reading:
Article on 19th century UFO sighting (in English)
Article on the Russian Blue Folder (in English)
More alleged Blue Folder Info (in Russian)
Info about the disappearing Blue Folder (in Russian)
Article on Russians fighting UFOs (in English)