In the spring of 1967, skywatchers near Moscow saw a strange unidentified object in the sky. It looked like a crescent moon, or a big illuminated C in the sky. It happened again and again, always at the same time of day as the sun was setting. Reports got into the newspapers, and UFO hunters across the USSR flocked to Moscow to investigate- or at least see the UFO. Then suddenly the sightings stopped, and so did the newspaper reports, without comment. Government silence settled around the incidents.
At the time, the US and the Soviet Union were operating under two nuclear arms treaties, one in effect and one pending, prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons in space. But the Soviets had developed an intercontinental ballistic missile that would go into orbit for a trip around the earth in order to sneak through US military surveillance. The Americans were, of course, monitoring the Soviet press and knew about the sightings. Oops. Read about the UFOs that revealed Soviet shenanigans at Popular Mechanics. Alternate link, if needed. -via Strange Company
(Image credit: ISC Kosmotras)
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