Сonsequences of flash and unknown object’s fall in Kyiv to be investigated by specialists

According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, residents of the capital observed this particular fall.

NASA has denied claims that the outbreak was caused by the RHESSI satellite falling from orbit, the BBC reports, citing a spokesman for the agency's communications office.

"Rob Margetta from Nasa's Office of Communications told the BBC that the satellite was still in orbit at the time the flash was observed (over Kyiv - ed.)," the agency wrote.

On the morning of April 20, the information about the possible use of enemy aircraft, a missile strike, and the fall of the NASA satellite was reported as false.

"A very bright glow from the fall of an unknown object caused excitement and anxiety among Kyiv residents. What exactly happened is to be determined only by experts. But the most important thing is the safety of Kyiv and the peace of mind of Kyiv residents. It was not a missile attack, our air defense was not triggered," wrote Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.

As of 11:28 p.m., the head of the city administration made a statement.

According to the Kyiv City Military Administration, residents of the capital witnessed the fall of a satellite.

"At approximately 10:00 p.m., a bright aerial object was observed in the sky above Kyiv. Preliminary information suggests that this phenomenon was the result of a NASA space satellite falling to Earth. In order to prevent harm to residents from debris falling to the ground, an air alert was announced. Air defense was not activated," said Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration

The Ukrainian Air Force also reported that the flares seen over Kyiv around 10:30 p.m. were likely related to the fall of a satellite or meteorite (to be confirmed).

"At the moment, there is no threat of an air attack by the enemy in this direction. Air defense is prepared!" noted the message. 

Prior to this, the Kyiv Regional Military Administration stated: "Residents of the Kyiv region! An aerial target has been detected in the sky. Air defense forces are on alert. Seek shelter and observe informational silence - refrain from filming or posting anything on the internet," the regional military administration wrote.

Videos were shared online showing unusual green flashes in the sky over Kyiv.

The air alert was announced at 10:08 p.m. and ended at 11:01 p.m.

The head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, reported on the Air Defense Forces' activity but later deleted the message, calling for more information from the Air Force. Meanwhile, “Alpha Centauri”, a popular science project dedicated to the promotion of cosmonautics, astronomy, and space exploration, insisted on Twitter and Telegram that Kyiv could not have witnessed the fall of the NASA satellite.

"A NASA satellite did not burn up over Kyiv. Today, the NASA RHESSI device, which observed solar flares from 2002 to 2018, was supposed to enter the atmosphere. But the trajectory of its fall is very (VERY) far from Ukraine – along the line of motion in the picture," they stated on their Telegram channel.

The approximate route of the satellite's fall can be tracked at the link: https://www.satflare.com/track.asp?q=27370#TOP. On the same website, other "fresh" objects falling from space can be observed.

"None of them fly over Ukraine. Do not spread lies about the NASA satellite," The Alpha Centauri stated. They added that the object that fell near Kyiv was a bolide (meteor).

• It was reported the day before that the NASA satellite, which has been studying the sun since 2002, would fall to Earth. According to the US military's calculations, the NASA device was supposed to enter the Earth's atmosphere around 9:30 p.m. on April 19 (plus or minus 16 hours). The RHESSI (Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager) satellite was decommissioned in 2018 and weighed 270 kilograms. Most of its mass should have turned into ash and steam during the fall.

• In the evening of April 19, the air defense system was also activated over the Dnipro