August M
A decades-old CIA document has resurfaced online after detailing extraordinary claims that Soviet soldiers were allegedly turned into stone following a reported encounter with extraterrestrials in Siberia.
The Express reported that the story originated from a 1993 Ukrainian newspaper article later referenced in declassified US intelligence files.
Strange Cold War claims
According to the report, Soviet troops allegedly shot down a UFO using a surface-to-air missile during military exercises in Siberia.
The article claimed five alien beings emerged from the crashed craft before merging into a glowing sphere.
Witnesses reportedly described the object emitting a bright flash that instantly petrified 23 soldiers, leaving only a small number of survivors.
CIA document resurfaces
The Express noted that the incident later appeared in a declassified CIA file discussing reports linked to former Soviet investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena.
The document reportedly suggested that if the claims were genuine, the technology involved would represent an extremely advanced and dangerous capability.
However, the CIA file itself was not an official investigation into the incident but rather a reproduction of the original newspaper article.
Soviet UFO investigations
According to The Express, recently released archives indicate Soviet authorities quietly collected reports of unexplained aerial sightings during the 1970s and 1980s despite publicly dismissing UFO claims as Western propaganda.
One report from 1989 described a jellyfish-shaped object hovering over the Russian city of Nalchik for more than an hour before disappearing.
The alleged Siberian encounter remains among the most controversial stories connected to those archives.
Skepticism remains
The report stated that claims surrounding the incident have never been independently verified.
According to the original story, the remains of the craft and the supposedly petrified soldiers were transported to a secret research facility near Moscow, where scientists allegedly found the bodies had transformed into a limestone-like substance.
Despite renewed online attention, researchers and historians continue to question the credibility of the account, noting the absence of confirmed evidence supporting the extraordinary claims.
The Express linked renewed interest in the files to ongoing public fascination with UFOs, Area 51 and government disclosures surrounding unexplained aerial phenomena.
Sources: The Express, declassified CIA documents.
