Archive for the ‘Russia’ Category

Space Object Plays Chicken with the ISS – Astronauts Forced to Hunker Down in Capsule

Saturday, July 18th, 2015

Early this morning the ISS and a piece of debris from an old Russian weather satellite almost gave one another a bro-like chest bump.

Astronauts had an hour and a half to secure as many of the ISS’s individual modules and get themselves hunkered down into their escape pod (the Soyuz capsule attached to the ISS) and nervously wait to see how it would play out.

While that’s the official word there are a lot of humans on the ground declaring that that’s what NASA wants you to believe and that the “space object” was actually a UFO doing a drive-by of the ISS.

Thankfully the debris or whatever it was went by without incident. NASA gave the astronauts the all-clear a few minutes later.

While safe it’s still a terrifying scenario because orbit is pretty is pretty predictable once things are in it…

But there’s that old saying…

What goes around comes around.

Let’s just hope that’s all it is…an old saying…

Or just a UFO flying by.

[WIRED]

Russian Man Volunteers for First – Probably Last – Head Transplant by Controverisal Neuroscientist

Monday, April 13th, 2015

Ripped right out of hundreds of science fiction, comic book and horror stories comes news that a Russian man has decided to be a medical guinea pig or possibly a pioneer….

By having his head removed and attached to another body.

Suffering from a severe case of spinal muscular atrophy, Valery Spiridonov, a 30-year-old Russian man has volunteered to become the first person to go through the process of a head transplant.

Last December, in a TedTalk, Italian neuroscientist Sergio Canavero claimed it’s possible and he was the guy to do it.

Spiridonov says he’s really got nothing to lose as his condition and quality of life deteriorate:

“I’m very interested in technology, and anything progressive that might change people’s lives for the better. Doing this isn’t only an excellent opportunity for me, but will also create a scientific basis for future generations, no matter what the actual outcome of the surgery is. This technology is similar to the first man to walk in space. This is because in the future it will help thousands of people who are in an even more deplorable state than I am.”

The cost and time to transplant Spiridonov’s head onto it’s new body? 11 million dollars and 36 hours of surgery.

Other doctors in the field are calling this a fantasy and a horrible idea that should never even be considered.

We’ll know in 2017 after 36 hours of surgery…

In the broken-English words of Dr. Canavero during the opening of his TedTALK:

“Are you sitting tight? I’m about to give you one hell of a ride.”

[Business Insider]

UFOs Hovering Over Russia? Or Something Else?

Monday, July 22nd, 2013

What is going on in this video? Are these UFOs just meeting up like cops in cars often do ala window-to-window and talk about stuff like how they need to mutilate at least a few cows on the way home? Is this, like some of the comments on the video suggest, some kind of advanced helicopters parked in the sky like high schoolers after a football game? What is going on with these lights in the sky over Russia?

Originally you could’ve tossed this off as a single triangle-shaped experimental plane or flares from a jet. But check the video at about 1:35 into the video. Also check the video at about the 6:12 mark. Did a cheap light bulb burn out on some mysterious government aircraft?

We’ll leave all the speculation in your hands because we’re really not sure what we’re looking at.

[Who Forted?]

Flying Bike Lifts Off in Russia!

Sunday, June 23rd, 2013

Because the daily commute in Russia isn’t already the equivalent of driving through a demolition derby on the way to work, several Czech scientists have come together with a Czech bicycle manufacturer to create the next hellish level of obstacles to just getting to the grocery store safely.

For obvious inner-child reasons, this team has created the crudest, loudest version of a flying bike they could piece together.

Ales Kobylik, an engineer involved on the project, stated: “Our main motivation in working on the project was neither profit nor commercial interest, but the fulfillment of our boyish dreams.”

All you Russian commuters can rest easy now.

[Walyou]

Double Complete Yeti Sighting

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

What’s better than Yeti tracks in the snow? Video of a Yeti. What’s better than a Yeti? Two Yetis! What’s better than that???? A mama yeti and her child filmed by some 12 year old Russian kid. To top it all off, a Russian scientist has even declared the footage is legit, because it’s not like you could fake something like this. Next you’ll have us believing it really was a meteor that slammed into Russia a few months back. Seriously. Science. Yetis.

Siberian Times
HuffingtonPost.co.uk

Huge Meteor Burns Out Over Russia – Plays Out Like a JJ Abrams Movie!

Friday, February 15th, 2013

Like found footage from an unannounced JJ Abrams flick, video is slamming YouTube from all over Russia about a large meteor that hit the atmosphere.

Details are still coming in about the event and we’ll have a fuller piece about it later.

For now? Grab some popcorn and enjoy a teaser for what the end of the world could look like.

The most amazing video that hit the internet almost immediately is from a driver’s dash-cam as the event takes place (for all of you who have NOT seen videos showing why Russian drivers need dash-cams? You’re depriving yourself)!

Next up? The sound of the sonic boom reaching the street. There have been reports of multiple injuries from exploding glass and falling objects…it’s like an ‘air-quake’!

And as people begin turning their cameras to the sky, the whole JJ Abrams-esque thing begins to manifest as everyone stands around staring at this terrifyingly strange and probably overwhelming event.

We’ll post more later as Russia calms the hell down.

Multiple Yeti Sighted In Russia!

Monday, October 15th, 2012

Russia has become a hotbed of Yeti activity over the last couple of weeks. And what’s more awesome than seeing a Yeti?

Seeing a group of Yeti.

In those last couple of weeks the sightings of Bigfoot’s Siberian cousin, two have included multiple Yeti hanging out together.


Sighting #1:

“We shouted, ‘Do you need help?’ They rushed away, all in fur, walking on two legs, making their way through the bushes and with two other limbs, straight up the hill. The person who made the report added: “It could not be bears, as the bear walks on all fours, and they ran on two. Then they were gone.”

Sighting #2:

“We saw some tall animals looking like people. Our binoculars were broken and did not let us see them sharply. We waved at the animals but they did not respond, then quickly ran back into the forest, walking on two legs. We realized that they were not in dark clothes but covered by dark fur. They did walk like people.”

Sighting #3:

A forestry inspector reported seeing a yeti in a national park, a government official said. Sergei Adlyakov, the inspector who reported the incident said: “The creature did not look like a bear and quickly disappeared after breaking some branches off the bushes.”

Are Yeti growing in number? Have they just gotten numb to the whole ‘being spotted’ thing? Only one man may know the answer because he’s Russia’s Yeti expert. Igor Burtsev is the head of the International Center of Hominology and is very excited to learn more about the recent blossoming of Yeti activity. Burtsev also claims that there is an active population of about 30 of the creatures living in the Kemerovo region of Russia.

He said: “We have good evidence of the yeti living in our region, and we have heard convincing details from experts elsewhere in Russia and in the U.S. and Canada.

[Fox News]

Strange Comet: Want to Watch a Failed Russian Probe Burn?

Friday, January 13th, 2012
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If you listened to the most recent podcast, Andrew discussed the Phobos Grunt. It was supposed to be a probe that landed on the Martian moon of Phobos and sent us back soil samples, due to arrive in 2014. Instead, it’s going to be a REALLY expensive firework this Sunday as it burns up upon reentry after failing to break the Earth’s orbit.

C’mon, show em what your worth.

As it sinks into the denser layers of Earth’s atmosphere, the probe will heat up and begin to glow brightly, forming a long plasma tail and resembling “a surreal-looking comet,” Molczan said.

“Eventually, the combination of extreme heat and rapid deceleration will cause it to fragment into many pieces that will spread out along the path of descent,” he said.

“The debris trail will move rapidly across the sky, visible for perhaps one to two minutes, assuming [a viewer has a] reasonably unobstructed view of the sky.”

With a keen eye, you can even see it now circling Earth, ready for the big moment. Keep your peepers trained for a fast-moving, star-like object with a bright orange hue.

[Nat Geo]

Video Footage of Female Yeti Captured in Russia [Yeti Watch]

Friday, December 30th, 2011

A female Yeti has finally been captured in the Republic of Ingushetia. The creature was spotting killing a sheep, before dragging it into the woods and eating it. Authorities found the beast and captured it.

“I tell you what. The animal looks like a gorilla. It is nearly two meters tall. We believe it’s a female, but she is really big. A gorilla usually moves using its front extremities, but this creature stands vertically, like a human being. She roars and produces strange sounds,” the minister said.

The animal is frightened; she eats meat and herbal food, the official added.

Or so the initial report read. Until the truth was revealed.

“That was a life-size puppet that we are going to use for New Year holidays. You guys just think – it’s December 29th – what kind of Yeti can there be before the New Year holidays? He will be our Yeti for three days: on December 29, 30 and 31,” the minister said.

The story was concocted for local children. The Yeti will be joined by several talking animals including a squirrel and a wolf.

You know what would have been a great way to cap off this awesome story? Not telling anyone until after the New Year! Stupid Republic of Ingushetia…

[Cryptomundo]

Cemetery Historian Kept Collection Of Mummified “Doll” Corpses

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

A 45-year-old Russian historian kept a collection of 29 human-sized dolls comprised of mummified corpses wearing the clothes they were buried in. The man was a well renown expert on cemeteries in the region and was published in the local newspapers.

Police began investigating the string of grave robbing two years ago, believe it was an extremist political organization.

Video released by police showed an eerie collection of what looks like life-sized dolls, outfitted in shabby dresses and headscarves, their hands and faces wrapped in fabric. Authorities say the man also stole clothes from the graves when he took the bodies.

Check out the video below…

Thanks to Weird Things reader David.

[CNN]

Russia, US Join Forces To Hunt Down Siberian Yeti

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

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Sightings are up. The legends are building. In the foothills of Siberia, the time has finally come for scientists from around the globe to unite in a common cause.

Finding the Yeti.

Researchers from Russia, the U.S., Canada, Sweden, Estonia, Mongolia and China will arrive later this week at a conference designed to find evidence of the beast.

Alleged sightings of Yetis in Kemerovo and the neighboring Altai region, about 1,988 miles (3,200 kilometers) east of Moscow, are up three times compared to 20 years ago, with scientists estimating that there is a current population of at least several dozen in the area.

Other evidence of the existence of the creatures — such as basic twig huts, twisted branches and footprints of up to 35 centimeters (14 inches) — also has been found in the area.

Wood Goblins are next.

[Fox News]

How One Russian Trucker Became BFF With Visiting Aliens

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Oleg Kirzhakov began November 2nd, 1989 as a Soviet-era, long-haul trucker in Mother Russia. He ended it as best friends to a race of aliens that shared his love for Bigfoot and promised to never be farther than 15 seconds away from him should he ever get into trouble.

En route from the northern territory of Arkhangelsk to capital city Moscow, he and his partner Nikolai stumbled upon what looked to be roadside construction equipment. What they found was something far more important. It was a UFO, complete with a sheen metal exterior, a electronic field that cut off electricity to Oleg’s rig and a telekinetic bond that projected a screen into Oleg’s field of vision so they could communicate.

After a bizarre request for matches, which Oleg fetched only to have a black “mass” come off the ship to retrieve, the curious truck driver decided it was time to get some answers. He boarded the ship.

The recess was a three- dimensional information screen, on which I was shown the interior of another sister ship, with the same moving ‘masses’ (during the demonstration, the two ‘masses’ in our ship were motionless).

Then, they showed a ship in space, among the stars, and at the end of the demonstration, they showed the presenter of a Soviet television program called Vremya.

Oleg couldn’t help but ask a few more questions:

“I asked question after question. The answers I received were heard in my head before I saw them on the screen. I asked, ‘What kind of ship am I on now? What kind of propulsion system do you use to make it fly?’

In response I was told that this spacecraft was a scout ship and used electromagnetic fields to fly. I was also told that they were studying our planet, which they need as a springboard to the future.

In response to my question ‘Do you have any connection with Bigfoot?’, they said, ‘Yes’ and added that they watch Bigfoot continuously.

You love Bigfoot? I love Bigfoot! We totally need to hang out more! When… will… I see you guys again…?

“Then I asked, ‘Is it possible to see you once again?’ They said, ‘If you are in danger we will find you within 15 seconds’.

Oleg de-boarded and got back in his truck while the ship enveloped itself into a ball of light and silently shot to the stars.

Best friends in the galaxy.

[UFO Casebook]

President Kennedy’s UFO Diplomacy With USSR Revealed

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Skitched 20110426 015729

Recently declassified documents have stirred up one of my absolute favorite conspiracy crossbreeds: JFK was killed as part of a UFO coverup.

More specifically, a new book claims to have found actual paper trail on communication Kennedy had with the USSR about UFO sightings.

“One of his concerns was that a lot of these UFOs were being seen over the Soviet Union and he was very concerned that the Soviets might misinterpret these UFOs as U.S. aggression, believing that it was some of our technology,” Lester told AOL News.

“I think this is one of the reasons why he wanted to get his hands on this information and get it away from the jurisdiction of NASA so he could say to the Soviets, ‘Look, that’s not us, we’re not doing it, we’re not being provocative. In fact, just to show you that it’s not us, what do you think about us working together on the exploration of space?'” Lester added.

Of course many sightings of UFOs on American soil have been widely rumored to be low-flying Soviet air craft. Assuming the same might be true in reverse, was ol’ JFK trying to throw an alien smokescreen in the eyes of our Cold War nemesis?

[AOL News]

Horrific Truth Behind The Cosmonaut Who Crashed To Earth

Monday, March 21st, 2011

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You’re in space. But not for long.

The capsule you was unfit to leave Earth and you knew it before you left. Power failed and your orbit trajectory is about to send you screaming to your death. Atmospheric reentry will turn your body to goo before you hit the ground.

With your last moments of radio communication you make sure that those with your blood on their hands know it. You curse the officials who sent you up in this death trap. You begin to weep in anger. Unsaid is why you went up knowing full well that you’d not come back alive: to protect a national hero who happens to be a drinking buddy.

These were the last moments of Vladimir Komarov. His extraordinary story of bravery, friendship and barbaric bureaucracy behind the Iron Curtain are told in the book Starman.

The mission was to stage a mid-space meeting between two Russian vessels where the crews would exchange one passenger each and come back to earth. It was to be a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Communist revolution, a very important moment for current head of the Soviet Union Leonid Brezhnev.

The problem was the Soyuz 1 capsule meant to carry Komarov was found to have 203 structural problems before it even left the ground. When it became clear that Brezhnev’s desire to see the mission take place would overrule any kind of safety concern, Komarov insisted on completing his mission because his back-up pilot was Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space and an icon of the Soviet space program. Not to mention a friend.

So Komarov went up and his legend reverberates to this day.

[NPR]

Russian Flight Controllers Claim Aliens Use Cat-Like Language

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

mioaw-mioaw all the time

Russian air traffic controllers in Yakutsk, Siberia claim they were buzzed by a high-speed UFO with a female sounding alien who spoke in an strange cat-like language. ‘I kept hearing some female voice, as if a woman was saying mioaw-mioaw all the time,’ he told the pilot of a passing Aeroflot flight. The video below is in Russian, but is reportedly of air traffic controllers discussing the incident.

[Ghost Theory via Daily Mail]

Torn-Out Tongue, Shattered Skull Peppers 1950’s Radioactive Russian Mystery

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

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A few friends go hiking in the Russian wilderness on an early February night in 1959. The Ural Mountain area is desolate, but not unmanageable for these nine veteran hikers.

On a larger scale, the Soviet Union continues to ascend in global power. Cuba is weeks away from succumbing to Communist revolution. Secrecy and corruption in all levels of government continue to run unchecked in an Iron Curtain system which it’s own citizens don’t dare question and the rest of the world fears.

Those nine hikers were found dead. Two of them had fractured skulls. Many of them were in various states of undress. One of them had her tongue ripped out of her mouth. All of their clothes had trace levels of radiation.

Their tent was ripped open. From the inside.

What were they trying to get away from? Were they running from something? Or someone? Did top secret chemical weapons testing cause them to go psychotic? Did a group of indigenous people brutally, torture and murder the friends?

Why was the subsequent investigation sealed under high level secrecy for decades?

The intervening 52 years haven’t provided hard answers, but there are plenty of theories ranging from UFOs to high-tech military testing.

The snow swept scenery is now called Dyatlov Pass in memory of Igor Dyatlov, the leader of those who died under such odd circumstances. Read about them AFTER THE JUMP… (more…)