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Russian Navy UFO Research

Military

Soviet Navy task force analyzed oceanic UFO and USO reports, guiding clandestine surveillance and research projects from 1976

In 1976, after repeated sonar anomalies and crew reports from Northern Fleet submarines, Fleet Admiral Nikolai Smirnov ordered establishment of a confidential analytic section inside Naval Intelligence. Weekly digests summarised sightings, acoustic traces, and instrument failures for the Commander-in-Chief. The working circle drew on the Oceanographic Commission of the Academy of Sciences and inherited logs dating back to 1950s.1

  Key Figures

NameRole/TitleContribution/Notes
Admiral Nikolai SmirnovFirst Deputy Commander-in-ChiefApproved the programme and circulated fleet-wide guidelines in October 1977.1
Admiral Vladimir ChernavinCommander-in-Chief (1985–1991)Oversaw implementation during 1985-1991; later authorised partial release of files in 2009.2
Captain 1st Rank Vladimir AzhazhaSubmarine experimental captain, hydroacoustic researcherManaged the "Hydrosphere Aspect" study under the Academy commission.3
Rear Admiral Yuri BeketovFormer nuclear submarine commanderDocumented 400 km/h underwater tracks in the Bermuda region; supplied instrument data to the group.4
Captain 1st Rank Igor BarklayNaval intelligence analystMapped cluster zones around Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Barents Sea.5

  Flagship Studies

Study/ProjectYearsDescription
Setka-MO1978–1986Defence Ministry programme evaluating potential interference of anomalous phenomena with weapon systems and crew health, drawing heavily on Navy archives.6
Hydrosphere Aspect of the UFO Problem1976–1979Joint Navy–Academy field expedition series collecting sonar tapes and visual records from all fleets; results circulated as methodological manuals for deck officers.7
Quaker Projectup to 1984Acoustic task force tracking broadband "kvaker" pulses shadowing submarines at up to 370 km/h; cruises by vessels Khariton Laptev and others attempted triangulation through 1984.8

  Legacy

By 1990 the analytic cell had catalogued more than twelve thousand naval cases—half involving oceans, one sixth large lakes. Though funding ended with the USSR, veterans continue to brief Russian Geographic Society and release material to civilian researchers.9

  References

  1. kokshetau-online.translate.goog ↩ ↩2

  2. theufochronicles.com ↩

  3. ufoac.com ↩

  4. militarytimes.com ↩

  5. popularmechanics.com ↩

  6. en.wikipedia.org ↩

  7. rbth.com ↩

  8. pravdareport.com ↩

  9. rbth.com ↩

Published on October 7, 1976

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