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| RUSSIAN JET ANSWERS UFO ALERT ON BORDER "Combat aircraft of Russia's Baltic Sea fleet were rushed to the border with Lithuania on Wednesday," January 22, 2005, "to repel a possible violation by what turned out to be an unnaturally thick and fast-moving cloud, the RIA-Novosti News Agency reported, citing the Baltic Fleet's press service." "The press release said a Sukhoi Su-27 was vectored into the area near Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad," located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Warsaw, Poland after radar spotted a large object entering Russian airspace from Lithuania. However, the (Russian) plane found nothing after reaching the border area." "The Baltic Fleet's Air Defense Command contacted military officials in Lithuania and Poland later, revealing that the intruder was actually a thick cloud that was being driven by a strong wind." "'Our fighter approached the trespasser to make it land or else leave Russian airspace,' the press release said, 'A closer examination showed that it was a cloud instead of a light plane, and it was coming from the territory of Lithuania,' the Baltic Fleet spokesman said." "Lithuanian military spokesman Ricardas Uzelka said Wednesday that Lithuanian authorities had no knowledge of any incident on the border." "'No Russian planes entered Lithuanian territory, nor did any Lithuanian plane enter Kaliningrad airspace,' Uzelka said." (See Moscow News for January 27, 2005, "Russian combat jet signalled to repel trespasser cloud." Many thanks to Robert Fischer for this newspaper article.) |
