Soviet coordinated research begins: military and Academy of Sciences networks

Witness account

Following the Petrozavodsk controversy, Soviet authorities created coordinated military and Academy of Sciences investigations of anomalous atmospheric and space phenomena. These streams are commonly called Setka-MO and Setka-AN. Their aims included understanding observations and determining whether unusual phenomena could affect equipment or personnel.

Public record

Program participants Yuri Platov and Boris Sokolov described the organization in a 2000 scientific article. Their account separates a 1977 planning meeting, the 1978 start and a January 1980 General Staff directive standardizing military reports. The last of those belongs in a later timeline entry rather than being backdated to the program’s foundation.

Sources

• Platov and Sokolov, The Study of Unidentified Flying Objects in the Soviet Union, 2000
• Publisher table of contents, Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences 70(3)