“Time to settle the ‘flying saucers’ question”,
31 March 2009 (RIA Novosti)
The former Soviet Union amassed records of over 20,000 UFO sightings, according to Andrei Kislyakov, the author of the article. Furthermore, he writes that the Academy of Sciences and Defense Ministry both conducted UFO investigations under the secret project names of Setka, Galaktika and Gorizont:
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20090331/120846269.html
RIA Novosti is Russia’s state-run news agency.
Information about the Academy of Sciences' UFO Committee:
The head of the Academy of Sciences’ All-Union Investigation Committee for Anomalous Aerial Phenomena was the late Pavel R. Popovich, former cosmonaut and fighter pilot. Popovich had joined the Academy of Sciences in 1984 and became the head of the newly created UFO Committee.
Major General Pavel R. Popovich, Soviet Air Force (Ret.),
Cosmonaut & Head of the Academy of Sciences’ UFO Committee
(openminds.tv photo)