Russian air defenses reportedly shot down a UFO in the Rostov Oblast near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday, with local media outlets and Telegram channels sharing videos of a small object in the sky exploding.
The news was first shared by Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev on Telegram, who claimed that it was spotted above the village of Sultan Sala.
"I urge everyone to remain calm. To ensure security, all forces and means are involved. The sky is covered with anti-aircraft defenses."
Vasily Golubev
"I urge everyone to remain calm. To ensure security, all forces and means are involved. The sky is covered with anti-aircraft defenses," Golubev said, according to local news outlet Privet Rostov, though he didn't explain what the UFO was, other than that it was shaped like a ball.
What was the UFO in Russia?
While the UFO's identity is unclear, it doesn't seem likely that it was a probe of some kind by advanced alien life. In fact, one Russian lawmaker has claimed it was actually a drone sent by Ukraine.
Russian State Duma lawmaker Anatoly Wasserman claimed on Telegram that Ukrainian forces, which he referred to as "Kyiv terrorists," are choosing to fire indiscriminately at Russian civilians for the sake of causing terror, according to local outlet Rostov Gazeta.
The Rostov Oblast is located along the Sea of Azov, a vital strategic waterway in the Russia-Ukraine War.
Russia has already claimed to fully control all of Ukraine's territories surrounding the Sea of Azov, meaning the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, though it does not de fact control the entirety of these regions.
But despite this war and the claims of authorities, many residents of the Rostov Oblast weren't exactly satisfied with this explanation.
As reported by the Rostov Gazeta, alternative claims by locals included the Moon being shot down, a balloon carrying Winnie the Pooh being shot down by Piglet's gun, a weather balloon and Santa Claus on his way back to the North Pole.
The truth is out there: Prior alleged alien activity in Rostov, Russia
This isn't the first time there were alleged signs of otherworldly activity in Russia's Rostov Oblast.
Back in 2007, some fishermen along the Sea of Azov managed to catch a strange, seemingly unidentified 100 kg. life form after a strong storm. They had filmed this strange squeaking creature with a cellphone camera and assumed it was an alien of some sort.
But before anyone could verify these claims, the Russian fishermen decided to eat this supposed alien, with one of them saying it was the best food he ever had, according to a report in Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Of course, this was almost certainly no alien, and many believe the creature was either a sturgeon or a guitarfish.