KYIV - A mysterious flash over Kyiv that spread confusion and fears of a Russian missile attack was likely a meteorite, a Ukrainian space official told AFP on Thursday.
“We cannot identify what it was exactly, but our assumption is that it was a meteorite,” said Mr Igor Korniyenko, the deputy head of a control centre at Ukraine’s national space agency.
The night sky above wartime Kyiv was lit up by a flash of light on Wednesday, prompting speculation that a crashing satellite or even aliens might be responsible.
Four short video clips posted to a Telegram channel by journalist and blogger Anatolii Sharii showed the sky suddenly illuminated by a bright light. In one clip, a flaming object appeared to be crashing to the ground.
The footage prompted several memes about aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFO).
The Kyiv city military administration, citing what it called preliminary information, said it was a crashing National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) satellite.
A Nasa spokesman denied this, saying there appeared to be some confusion over an earlier announcement the American space agency had made about bringing a retired satellite out of orbit in the early hours of Thursday morning, Kyiv time.
The Ukrainian Air Force, responsible for trying to down missiles and drones fired by Russia, said a satellite or a meteorite could be responsible.
“Please do not use official air force symbols to create memes for the enemy to enjoy,” it said in a message.
Minutes earlier, Ukraine presidential adviser Andriy Yermak had posted an emoji of a UFO. AFP, REUTERS
