2022 · Kyiv and Vinarivka, Ukraine
Kyiv observatory's 'Cosmics' and 'Phantoms'
Figures 7-8 of Zhilyaev et al., 'Unidentified aerial phenomena I' (arXiv:2208.11215): the 'phantom' - a dark object in a single video frame from the Kyiv meteor station - and its RGB colour profile, from which the authors derive zero albedo and ~5 km distance. The ranging is disputed. · B. E. Zhilyaev, V. N. Petukhov, V. M. Reshetnyk (Main Astronomical Observatory NASU), arXiv:2208.11215
When2018 – 2025 (papers 2022–2025)
WhereKyiv and Vinarivka, Ukraine
Astronomers at Ukraine's Main Astronomical Observatory filmed the daytime sky from two stations 120 km apart between 2018 and 2022 and reported fast objects they called 'Cosmics' (luminous) and 'Phantoms' (dark), some apparently kilometres across. The observatory's Scientific Council called the work premature and its distances wrong. The authors kept publishing and in 2025 analysed a front-line drone clip the same way.
How plausible · Moderate
Professional astronomers with two-station video; their own Scientific Council disputes the distances, so sizes and speeds are uncertain.
- ●●Access An observatory's own instruments.
- ●●No gain sought Academic papers.
- ●●Physical traces or official reaction Dated video from two stations.
- ●○Consistent over time Papers from 2022 to 2025.
- ●○Character record A national observatory team.
- ●○Checkable details check out Methods and times published on arXiv.
Against
- −Contradicted by an insider Their own council called it premature with distance errors.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
Claims
Luminous 'Cosmics' and dark 'Phantoms' (near-zero albedo), 3–12 m, in the troposphere up to 10–12 km, moving up to 15 km/s, in 'flights of single, group and squadrons', pulsing at 10–20 Hz.analysisSourced, unconfirmedB. E. Zhilyaev et al., Main Astronomical Observatory NAS Ukraine, arXiv 2208.11215 (2022)
Two-station detections 120 km apart, including one on 17 Oct 2022 08:58:08 UTC of an object about 3 km across; a front-line thermal drone clip analysed as 3–6 km objects at Mach 2.5+.analysisSourced, unconfirmedZhilyaev, Pokhvala et al., 'Dark UAPs' (2025)
'Premature'; it 'did not meet the professional requirements', with 'significant errors in determining distances'; data taken in 'test mode'.analysisSourced, unconfirmedMAO NASU Scientific Council, via The Debrief (2022)
Where
Kyiv and Vinarivka, Ukraine
50.5°N 30.5°E