UFO Turns Soldiers to Stone

This is a truly outstanding tale of tabloid newspapers, bizarre declassified CIA documents, and 23 Soviet soldiers killed in an extremely odd fashion by a flying saucer. I had previously come across this story in the earlier days of my research, but had dismissed it out of hand because of how sensational it seemed, and due to the only places in which it was widely reported being tabloid newspapers. However, recently I have managed to unearth the genuine declassified CIA files on the incident using the FOIA archives online - but these have only left me more confused than ever as to what exactly this incident really was.

## Medusa from the Stars

The issue of the Kiev newspaper *Holos Ukrayiny* published on the 27th of March of 1993 allegedly contained a reprint from another newspaper by the name of *Ternopil Vechirniy* which contained an article called '*Cosmic Revenge*'. This article claimed that the CIA had come into possession of a 250-page file from the KGB after the aforementioned intelligence organisation had been dissolved by Mikhail Gorbachev, and that a CIA representative had stated that this file painted '*a horrific picture of revenge on the part of extraterrestrial beings*'. This alleged file was also said to contain photographs and drawings of a specific event, as well as witness testimony from the bizarre happening.

According to this alleged KGB material, '*a quite low-flying spaceship*' shaped like a saucer appeared over a military unit in the midst of performing a routine training exercise. For some unknown reason, someone decided to launch a surface-to-air missile at the saucer, which impacted and sent the object falling to earth '*not far away*'. Five diminutive beings with large heads and big black eyes freed themselves from the debris of the crashed craft, and they came together before somehow merging '*into a singular object that acquired a spherical shape*'. This odd conglomeration of the five aliens started to hiss and buzz before glowing a brilliant white colour. It rapidly grew in size before exploding with a burst of dazzling white light.

In that instant, the 23 unlucky soldiers who were watching the blast were immediately transformed into '*stone poles*'. The only survivors of the event were two soldiers who were stood in a shaded area and were less exposed to the lethal luminescence. The remains of the destroyed UFO and the '*petrified soldiers*' were quickly transported to a secret scientific research station somewhere near Moscow, where it was determined that the bodies of those who had been caught in the petrifying burst had been transmuted into '*a substance whose molecular composition is no different to that of limestone*'. Alleged specialists supposedly claimed that this might have been due to exposure to some unknown form of energy.

A CIA representative reported stated that, if this event actually took place, then it means that '*the aliens possess such weapons and technology that go beyond all our assumptions*'.

## What Did You Just Read?

Honestly, I'm asking the same question. I have been able to confirm that the declassified CIA document describing this incident actually does exist, and that the newspapers mentioned in the specifications of the source for the report are also real. Interestingly enough, however, the document also states that the story about the CIA possessing a 250-page file about the bizarre attack has been spread partially through the *Canadian Weekly World News* - and obviously the Weekly World News is one of the 'usual suspects' for hoax paranormal stories online, seeing as they are a satirical tabloid newspaper known to publish almost entirely fictional tales pertaining to Bigfoot meeting the President or similar such silliness.

As of writing this article, I have been unable to track down the original story in the Ukrainian newspapers, but this does not mean that they do not exist. I think that the CIA would've perhaps done more research into this story and discovered that there was nothing to investigate if this was the case. The fact that the *Weekly World News* is involved throws some doubt on the reality of the claims made in the document, however - as does the highly sensational language used in quotes from alleged CIA representatives. It is also interesting to note that this document was declassified as part of the *CREST 25-Year Program Archive*, in which documents automatically declassified after a 25-year period thanks to the FOIA can be accessed. I think that this document would've likely remained highly classified if there was really any sort of veracity to it.

I have a theory as to what might've happened here, and as to why this exceedingly odd CIA document exists. I would wager that this information was drawn to the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency thanks to an article published in the *Weekly World News*, and then some bright spark in the Government offices traced the tale back to the Ukrainian newspapers, which were claiming that the CIA were in possession of the 250-page document when they really were not. The animosity between the USA and the Soviet Nations might've led the researchers of this story to believe that this could've been some sort of smear tactic against the CIA, meant to associate them with ridiculous tales of UFO attacks. This may or may not have been true, obviously, but I would wager that it was not a deliberate attack, and was rather just a piece of badly-thought-out yellow journalism. Thus, the CIA investigated the matter and wrote a file up about the incident because someone had alleged that they were involved in it, and then when the story was inevitably discovered to be bogus, the file was cast aside and automatically declassified later - only to stir up interest in modern tabloid newspapers (mostly of the British variety, oddly) and become a story reported as being factual. That's my best guess as to why this file exists - but who knows? Perhaps 23 soldiers really were petrified by basilisks from beyond the stars...

## Source

CIA Document: Paper Reports Alleged Evidence on Mishap Involving UFO