Mystery surrounds flash that sent sirens ringing across Ukraine

Mysterious lightning appeared in the sky over Kiev, Ukraine on the night of April 19 (Photo: Twitter).

At around 10pm on April 19, air defense sirens sounded in Kiev and many other regions of Ukraine such as Sumy, Kharkov, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Donetsk due to the detection of a mysterious flash and what appeared to be a flying object in the sky near Kiev. The air defense system was put on alert, but did not deploy.

Shortly afterwards, the Ukrainian Air Force assessed that the flash could have been related to a NASA satellite or a meteor, and confirmed that it was not a Russian attack.

Mystery surrounds flash that sent sirens ringing across Ukraine

Previously, NASA and the US Department of Defense said that the scientific satellite named Rhessi, weighing about 270kg, would likely return to the atmosphere on the evening of April 19 after operating in orbit.

However, a NASA spokesperson yesterday confirmed that the flash in Ukraine was not related to the satellite. "The satellite is still in orbit. Reentry has not occurred. None of our other satellites are reentering today," the NASA spokesperson said.

NASA’s comments add to the mystery of the flash in Ukraine. The internet has come up with a number of theories, along with a video showing a flash of light over Kiev. The Ukrainian Air Force has asked people not to use the official symbol of the air force to make memes about flying saucers.

Alpha Centauri, a member of a non-profit space education project, said that the bright streak in the sky over Ukraine could be a meteor because the path of the NASA satellite debris is believed to be very far from Ukraine.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/bi-an-bao-trum-chop-sang-khien-coi-bao-dong-vang-khap-ukraine-20230420123957291.htm