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Strange Lights In The Sky Cause Panic In Russia

Strange Lights In The Sky Cause Panic In Russia

“It's good that I was not alone....a group of people cannot hallucinate."

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Locals in Russia have been left with 'shivers down their spines' after a wave of sightings of bright lights in the sky in northern Siberia.

The bizarre phenomenon sparked a flurry of activity on social media, with speculation brimming about UFOs and extra-terrestrials coming to Earth.

Vasily Zubkov posted: "I went out to smoke a cigarette and thought it was the end of the world."

Credit: The Siberian Times

Siberian photographer Sergey Anisimov was preparing to capture the northern lights when he saw the otherworldly ball of light in the sky.

"I was taken aback for a few minutes, not understanding what was happening," he said.

"The glowing ball rose from behind the trees and moved in my direction.

"My first thought was about the most powerful searchlight, but the speed of changing everything around changed the idea of what was happening.

"The ball began to turn into an arc and gradually dissipated."

Credit: Alexey Yakovlev/The Siberian Times

Alexey Yakovlev is another photographer who witnessed the lights, he admitted to feeling scared when he saw the unexplained shape in the sky and that he was glad he had others with him so that he knew he wasn't hallucinating.

"At first I thought - it is such a radiance of such an unusual form, round in shape.

"But gradually the ball began to expand, it became clear that this is not some radiance and it became scary.

"It's good that I was not alone....a group of people cannot hallucinate."

Social media users suggested everything from alien invasion to a hole in the fabric of space time.

However, there are a few slightly less farfetched explanations.

Firstly, it is possible, given the location of the sightings, that it was a particularly spectacular display of the Northern Lights.

The other possibility is that Putin and his military are behind the lights.

The military has confirmed that missile tests were underway from submarines and aircraft last night, and the exercises included the launch of a super-powerful Topol rocket from 550 miles north of Moscow.

Credit: Alexey Yakovlev/The Siberian Times

The Russian media claims it was the trail from this rocket that caused the eerie glow in the night sky.

The launch has been confirmed by the defence ministry in Moscow, but not everyone is satisfied with the explanation.

Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Manual, told Mail Online: "This looks amazing and it is not surprising the sight of it caused witnesses to think of aliens and the opening of a portal to another dimension.

"These fantastic possibilities are shot down by the prosaic explanation that this strange light phenomena [sic] was caused by the testing of an intercontinental missile.

"This seems like a poor explanation for something so spectacular but other rocket launches have caused similar spectacles.

"In particular, in December 2009 a stunning spiralling light was seen over Norway, which was caused by a failed Russian missile test.

"They may not be of an alien origin but we can certainly admire their beauty, even if they are caused by weapons of mass destruction."

Featured Image Credit: Alexey Yakovlev/The Siberian Times

Topics: UFO, World News, Putin, Russia