UFOs and Soviet Air Defense

Summary

In 1991, an article in *Literaturnaya Gazeta* revealed that Ivan Tretyak, the Soviet Deputy Minister of Defense, admitted that fighter interceptors had encountered unidentified flying objects in Soviet airspace. According to Tretyak, these objects displayed "stealth-like" characteristics, making them difficult to detect on radar. Despite this, pilots captured optical and thermal signals. The general noted that they were not considered an immediate threat, but acknowledged their artificial origin was uncertain. He also mentioned that some sightings in the 1970s could have been explained by natural or artificial phenomena, though they were kept secret for security reasons.

Tretyak was asked about the possibility of extraterrestrial origins, and although he didn't rule it out, he stressed it was premature to see them as a threat. He also described a specific case in March 1990 near Moscow, with pulsating lights and eyewitness accounts and photographs. Although radar didn't register the object, Tretyak suggested expanding radar frequencies could help understand the phenomenon better. Finally, he warned that attacking a UFO without understanding its nature would be reckless.