Some significant Finnish UFO cases
The UFO Fragment of Kallavesi
August 29, 1964
On Saturday, August 29, 1964, Raimo Blomqvist from Kuopio traveled with his parents to spend the weekend at their summer cottage on a small island in Lake Kallavesi, 13 kilometers from Kuopio. The weather was calm and relatively warm for the season, but the atmosphere was slightly dampened by a thick cloud cover and the looming threat of rain.
After taking care of the usual arrival chores, Raimo decided to go for a walk and headed toward a rocky shore on the other side of the island. While sitting on the rocks, sometime around 7 PM, he noticed a bright, star-like light in the northeast that rapidly increased in intensity. His first thought was that it was a meteor, so he curiously observed the object.
Soon, Blomqvist realized that the light was moving directly toward the island. It was flying very low and seemed to be descending gradually. Initially, he estimated its distance to be about five kilometers, but within a few seconds, it had approached the island. The object then slowed down, silently glided to about ten meters from the shore, and hovered a few meters above the water.
For some reason, Blomqvist remained unusually calm in front of the floating object—he was not frightened, only somewhat tense and cautious. It felt as if he were inside some kind of force field, making him decide to stay completely still. The light began to reveal more details: it shimmered with multiple colors, and within its glowing haze, a faintly visible oval, saucer-like object emerged, “like a plump fish pie.”
The object was about four meters in diameter and two meters high. One edge of the object appeared oddly bent upward, as if it had collided with something. Although the light emitted from the object was bright, it did not reflect significantly off the water. However, there was a ripple effect in the water directly beneath it, as if a faint breeze was stirring the surface. The object's outline was too blurry to distinguish any windows or other details.
After about twenty seconds, something dropped from underneath the saucer and fell into the water with a hissing sound near the shore. The detached piece appeared to be glowing intensely, almost like a blue welding flame. Blomqvist had a sudden feeling that this “egg-laying” might have been the main purpose of the object's visit, as shortly afterward, the craft exhibited signs of preparing for departure. Stripes of yellow, green, and orange on its surface began glowing brightly, the light thickened and flickered, and then the saucer suddenly shot upward so fast that Blomqvist barely had time to register what had happened. Within a second, it had pierced through the cloud cover at an altitude of 300 meters.
After recovering from his amazement, Blomqvist went down to the shore to search for the fallen object. It was easy to spot on the light-colored sandy bottom and turned out to be a flat, dark, irregularly shaped piece with rough edges, about four centimeters long. He pocketed the fragment and returned to the cottage but decided not to mention it to his parents, fearing they wouldn't believe him. The fragment remained in a drawer for over ten years until, in 1975, Blomqvist reported it to UFO researchers.
This case intrigued investigators, particularly because of the recovered fragment—it was the first of its kind in Finnish UFO research history. The fragment was examined at multiple universities and four metallurgy laboratories in Finland and Sweden. It contained 25 different elements, with 12 being present in significant amounts. It was not unusually radioactive, had poor electrical conductivity similar to insulating materials, but was distinctly magnetic.
Initially, experts hypothesized that it was a natural geological formation, but this theory was dismissed by Professor Edelman of Åbo Akademi after learning where it was found. Could it be a meteorite? That possibility was ruled out based on an elemental analysis conducted by Professor Papunen at the University of Turku. It was ultimately determined to be a “technical” object—something industrially manufactured. Further studies confirmed it was neither space debris nor a common industrial metal. In the end, there was no contradiction between the research findings and Blomqvist’s account, leaving the object's origin without a conventional explanation.
One particularly interesting detail in Blomqvist’s testimony adds credibility to his experience in an unexpected way. His observation of the saucer's bent edge initially seems absurd, but similar distortions have been observed in photographs taken by the controversial George Adamski in Maryland, USA, six months later. This phenomenon is believed to be caused by a strong electromagnetic field surrounding the object, acting like a lens and distorting visual perception, especially at close range. Blomqvist’s sensation of being in a force field aligns well with this theory.
Why did this unidentified craft drop a piece of metal on the shores of a lonely island in Lake Kallavesi? Given its irregular shape, it is hard to imagine it as a worn-out or broken part discarded during a maintenance operation.
Translated from sources:
Mikko Toivola: Tämä putosi ufosta? Ultra 12/77, s. 4-5
Olavi Kiviniemi : Kallaveden "ufonkappale", Ultra 12/77, s. 5-6
Quarter Report 4/77, Suomen ufotutkijat ry
The Metal Pot of Pyyvaara
June 14, 1967
In the summer of 1967, an unusual UFO sighting occurred in Suomussalmi, Finland. The unidentified object was of a rare type, observed from close range in broad daylight, witnessed by multiple people, and investigated by a diverse and qualified team of experts—without reaching any conclusions.
Around noon on June 14, farmer Arvi Juntunen was greasing his harrow in the yard of his house. His brother, Veikko, was nearby, applying tar to a sled runner. The weather was sunny and calm. Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound came from the sky, resembling the approach of a whirlwind. At the same time, the top of a nearby rowan tree began swaying violently.
Juntunen turned toward the sound and was stunned to see a small, upside-down pot-shaped object just six or seven meters away. It was hovering about half a meter above the ground. He estimated its diameter at 70–80 centimeters, with a height of half that. The sun gleamed off its brownish surface, and there was a wing-like protrusion on its side. The lower part of the object appeared to be spinning rapidly.
At first, Juntunen thought the object was something carried in by the windstorm. He decided to grab it. As he approached within about three meters, three thin antenna-like wires suddenly emerged from the object’s side. The outermost antennas then turned toward the middle one, and although they did not touch Juntunen, he felt a pulsating electrical shock-like sensation.
Startled but determined, Juntunen pulled off his hat and threw it at the antennas. The attempt had no effect other than the powerful air pressure surrounding the object hurling his hat more than ten meters away.
What followed was a bizarre, seemingly pointless display. The object rose higher and began erratically flying around the yard, darting in all directions—up, down, left, right—like an angry horsefly with its antennas pointing forward. Juntunen realized this was something worth seeing, so he shouted for his wife and children inside the house to come outside. They did not hear him. However, two neighboring women, Liisa and Sirkka Keränen, heard his call and rushed out. A five-year-old boy, Aarne Keränen, had already come running to tell them about the strange flying object, but since he was so young, the adults had not taken him seriously at first.
Now, five witnesses watched what was likely the strangest sight of their lives. The small craft’s erratic flight continued long enough that it could have been photographed—if only a camera had been available. Eventually, the object began ascending at an angle toward the northwest and then vanished into the sky. The entire, silent spectacle lasted approximately 15 minutes.
It is possible the same mysterious object had already been near the house before noon. Earlier that day, the children from Pyyvaara had suddenly run indoors, excitedly asking the adults to come see a “helicopter.” However, at that time, nothing had been spotted or heard.
The case attracted significant attention, and witnesses were interviewed by members of the Kainuu Border Guard, UFO researchers from Oulu, and journalists. Yet, despite the thorough investigation, no explanation was found. Later, it emerged that a similar object had been seen six weeks earlier at Lake Vuosselinjärvi in Kuusamo. Three local fishermen witnessed the event but chose to remain silent about it for two years—possibly because they learned about the Pyyvaara case and decided it was time to share their own experience.
Translated from sources:
Tapani Kuningas: UFOja Suomen taivaalla
Raimo Miekka: Ufot - aikamme mysteeri (movie)
Kyröläinen-Teerikorpi: Ufojen arvoitus
The Seven Balloons of Pori
April 12, 1969
The claim that "professional pilots have never seen UFOs" was once widely circulated in newspapers, but it has since disappeared from public discourse. The following case, witnessed by dozens of Finnish pilots, may have contributed to that shift.
On April 12, 1969, Jouko Kuronen, a pilot serving in the Finnish Air Force, was preparing to depart from Pori Airport for a navigation flight to Kuopio with a fellow aviator around midday. The weather was clear and sunny. A light breeze blew at ground level, but meteorological data indicated that at an altitude of three kilometers, strong northward winds were blowing at approximately 185 km/h.
Kuronen taxied his aircraft to the runway following instructions from air traffic control. At that moment, he became aware of an unusual radio conversation between the flight controller and a fighter pilot, Tarmo Tukeva, who was about to begin a dive attack exercise in a Fouga Magister aircraft.
“Hey, 286, abort your dive and take a look at what appears to be about seven balloons above you,” the controller said over the radio.
Tukeva acknowledged the command: “Roger, aborting the dive—turning right toward them.”
“They’re stationary over the airfield—altitude somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 meters—looks like there are seven of them.”
“Understood, initiating climb.”
Listening to the conversation, Kuronen turned his aircraft slightly on the ground to get a better view. He immediately spotted a formation of seven yellow, disc- or ball-shaped objects hovering motionless over the airfield.
Meanwhile, Tukeva's aircraft was approaching the objects, and the radio conversation continued. Both air traffic control and radar operators confirmed they had locked onto the unknown targets.
Tukeva banked his Fouga Magister toward Pori city to get a clearer look at the situation. As he approached, he observed that the objects had a generally round shape but appeared somewhat indistinct. Lacking clear reference points, he found it impossible to estimate their exact distance.
Then, suddenly, an unexpected event occurred. The objects shifted into a formation and began moving rapidly northward, accelerating at an incredible rate. The strong headwind appeared to have no effect on their speed.
“You won’t catch them,” the controller told Tukeva. “They’re racing north at high speed.”
And indeed, the "balloons" moved so fast that, even though Tukeva's jet was flying at 700 km/h, it seemed to be standing still in comparison. Within a single minute, the objects were already seen over Vaasa, nearly 200 kilometers north.
One striking aspect of the Pori UFO encounter was the presence of highly advanced observation equipment. Radar and radio tracking confirmed the sighting, ruling out common misinterpretations such as aircraft, weather balloons, or optical illusions. Despite these confirmations, the “balloons” remained unexplained.
Translated from sources:
Tapani Kuningas: UFOja Suomen taivaalla
Raimo Miekka: Ufot - aikamme mysteeri (movie)
Tapani Koivula: Ufojen kosminen viesti
Juhan af Grann: Vieraita taivaalta (movie)
The Humanoid of Imjärvi
January 7, 1970
If you open a globally published UFO book, you might come across an image of two rugged men bundled up in thick fur coats, trudging through knee-deep snow in a mountainous landscape. You might rub your eyes in astonishment when you read that their names are Aarno Heinonen and Esko Viljo. You've stumbled upon one of Finland's most internationally famous UFO cases, a story that has taken on a life of its own worldwide. But what really happened?
On January 7, 1970, Heinonen and Viljo, both residents of Imjärvi, a rural area in Heinola, Finland, set out for their usual afternoon ski trip at around 4 PM. The weather was clear, with a temperature of approximately -17°C. After skiing for about half an hour, they decided to take a short break. That’s when an unexpected and life-altering event began.
Esko Viljo was the first to notice something unusual. From the south, a long, fire-colored object approached, trailing what looked like a burning torch behind it. It made no sound. Then, it briefly disappeared, only to suddenly reappear above them as a bright, cloud-like burst of light.A buzzing sound, similar to a swarm of bees, filled the air. Within moments, a light gray, saucer-shaped craft emerged above them, hovering about three or four meters overhead. Heinonen instinctively tried to flee but found himself paralyzed, unable to move.
The object was approximately two meters in diameter. On its underside, three faintly glowing hemispheres were visible, with a tube-like structure rising from the center into the craft. On either side of the tube, light flickered. As the craft steadied, a grayish-red mist began to pour from it. A pungent, sulfur-like odor filled the air, irritating their noses and throats. The mist grew denser until, from within it, a glowing 15-centimeter orb emerged and floated about a meter above the snow. Then, something astonishing happened. The orb suddenly expanded into a luminous disc, about a meter in diameter, which gradually changed color from pale to fiery red. Around its edges, a dark, one-centimeter-thick ring formed.
The disc began emitting beams of red, green, and violet light, each about ten centimeters long, which shot out in all directions up to three meters away. As this occurred, Heinonen felt a strong force pulling him backward at the waist. Then, the dark ring on the disc started to contract and rise, transforming into an elongated oval shape that quickly shot upwards.
When Heinonen glanced at Viljo, he was shocked to see a small humanoid figure standing nearby. The being was clad in a pale green protective suit and was holding a black device in its hands. Viljo, who was facing the bright phenomenon directly, also saw the figure. It was visible for only a couple of seconds before suddenly vanishing.
The mist then seemed to "split" apart around Viljo and dissipated. The entire event had lasted about ten seconds. Strangely, no marks were left in the snow where the craft had been.
The two men stood in stunned silence. Then, about three or four minutes later, they began experiencing unusual physical symptoms. Heinonen, who had been standing with his right side facing the object, felt an intense coldness on that side of his body. Moments later, the sensation reversed, and he became unbearably hot. His leg and arm started to feel numb, and his joints ached. He felt a stabbing pain in his back, forcing him to hunch over. Nausea followed.
The men struggled back to their homes. Though the distance was only about 500 meters, it took them over 20 minutes to cover it. Heinonen briefly described his condition to his family before heading to Viljo’s house. Initially, Viljo hadn’t noticed any symptoms, but within two hours, his face swelled, and his skin—on both his face and hands—turned red. His eyes became sensitive to light, and he felt a pressing sensation in them. His joints began aching, and he developed a headache.
Concerned about their worsening conditions, they took a taxi to the Heinola clinic. The doctor was unable to diagnose their ailments and simply prescribed them sleeping pills. They returned home and went to bed.
The next morning, their symptoms had not improved. Heinonen struggled to get out of bed, and when he did, his legs felt weak, and his back remained hunched. His headaches and nausea returned, forcing him to see another doctor, who prescribed sedatives. However, these only made things worse. Over the following weeks, Heinonen’s balance deteriorated, his memory became unreliable, and he suffered from nightmares. It took four months before he was well enough to attempt working again.
Viljo also experienced lingering effects, but his condition was slightly better, allowing him to maintain his ability to work.
For Heinonen, the encounter changed his life. He began developing strange abilities, and his UFO experiences did not end with the Imjärvi sighting. In the years that followed, he reported dozens of encounters, during which he claimed to have met various extraterrestrials. One of them, a so-called "humanoid girl," became particularly well-known.
Translated from source:
Tapani Kuningas: UFOja Suomen taivaalla
The Traffic Disruptor of Imatra
August 24 (?), 1970
Unidentified flying objects are known to have caused various physical disturbances when flying close to the ground—some visible, some tangible. In most cases, these effects have been harmless. However, that has not always been the case.
In late August 1970—most likely on the 24th—Aatto Storgård, a railway yard supervisor in Imatra, left his home around midday to head to work. He started his car at 12:10 PM and drove onto the road. A few minutes later, as he approached the Karhumäki intersection in the Linnala district, something extraordinary happened.
Without warning, Storgård noticed a large unidentified object rising from the edge of the sidewalk about 60 meters ahead. As it lifted, it created a vortex or force field that violently disturbed nearby objects. Temporary traffic barriers and road signs placed at the intersection were flung to the ground. A sewer cover was also lifted out of place.
Sensing danger, Storgård decided to stop his car and step out, fearing that if the vehicle entered the force field, it might be overturned. Other drivers made the same decision—two cars halted behind Storgård’s vehicle, and three more stopped on the other side of the flying object. Altogether, six cars came to a standstill.
The object rose to a height of about two meters and then began moving horizontally toward the east, in the direction of the Vuoksi River. It was oval-shaped and had a dull gray surface. It measured approximately six meters in diameter and about two meters in height. No distinct features such as windows, lights, or markings were visible.
A peculiar aspect of the disturbance was that, although the object's force field violently displaced road signs and barriers, it did not stir up any dust. Similarly, when the object passed over the Vuoksi River—still maintaining an altitude of around two meters—the water surface remained completely undisturbed. After about a minute of flight, the object suddenly disappeared.
Analyzing the chaotic scene left behind, researchers speculated that the force responsible for moving the traffic signs and sewer cover was likely a powerful magnetic field surrounding the object. This would explain why metal objects were affected while dust and water remained undisturbed. Magnetic fields are known to interact with ferrous materials but have no impact on ordinary dust or clean water.
Similar observations of UFOs causing electromagnetic disturbances have been reported worldwide. However, one mystery remained: why didn’t the metal objects in Imatra get pulled toward the airborne object? A few possible explanations were considered: the magnetic field may not have been strong enough, or the movement of the object itself might have created turbulence, weakening the magnetic pull.
Despite the dramatic nature of the incident—occurring in broad daylight, in the middle of a populated area with multiple witnesses—there was no public outcry or media coverage. None of the bystanders reported the event immediately. The story only surfaced a year and a half later.
This lack of response is not unusual in UFO cases. Psychological factors often come into play—witnesses fear ridicule, or they assume someone else will report the incident. It has been estimated that only about one in a hundred UFO sightings ever gets officially recorded.
Translated from source:
Tapani Kuningas: Ufojen jäljillä
The Dishwater of Kuusamo
January 3, 1971
On the morning of Sunday, January 3, 1971, several eyewitnesses in the village of Saapunki, Kuusamo, observed a bright ball of light moving slowly above the Pitkäperä section of Saapunki Lake. The first sighting was reported at the eastern end of the lake around 6:00 AM, while the last observation occurred about 15 minutes later, three kilometers further west.
The light moved at a walking pace, hovering 8–10 meters above the frozen lake. This allowed observers on the opposite shore to see it against the backdrop of trees. Despite a fierce southwesterly snowstorm, the object advanced steadily against the wind. The temperature was around -20°C.
Eyewitnesses saw the light from multiple locations, and its brightness was so intense that it illuminated the surrounding landscape within a three-kilometer radius, despite the dense snowfall. As the object passed houses along the shoreline, their interior lights flickered and briefly went out. Some witnesses initially struggled to estimate the object’s size due to its overwhelming brightness, but as it slowed down, they assessed its diameter to be around ten meters. The phenomenon made no sound that could be linked to it.
Officials from the local power company later confirmed that no electrical outages had been reported during that time, despite the storm.
Upon reaching the lake’s western shore, the light moved up onto the riverbank and stopped at approximately 6:15 AM, hovering behind the garden of Mauno and Martta Talala, about 20 meters from their home. The couple had just gotten up and were having coffee by the window when both simultaneously noticed an incredibly bright light outside. It was so intense that they could not look directly at it and had to glance at it from the side.
Still in his nightclothes, Mauno hurried to get dressed, intending to step outside for a closer look. However, before he could do so, the light suddenly vanished. At the same moment, the house’s power went out and remained off for about a minute.
Outside observers saw the light fade into a small glowing dot before ascending into the sky. Martta Talala ran to the porch to get a better view, but the darkness had already returned.
Later that morning, the couple’s son, Timo, found an unusual trace on the ground at the exact location where the light had hovered. The mark was about six meters long and over three meters wide. At its center was a pear-shaped area covered in a thin layer of ice. The icy patch measured approximately 2 x 3.5 meters. Its color was a striking green, darker in the middle and fading toward the edges. The snow within this area had melted to about half its original thickness but had not completely disappeared. In the very center of the mark, a small patch of ice contained clusters of thin, finger-sized icicles.
Two days later, on January 5, local newspaper Koillissanomat published the story, bringing it to public attention. By the following day, the case had spread to national newspapers.
The first official theory came from Dr. Birger Wiik of the Geological Survey of Finland, who speculated that the witnesses had confused two separate events: a meteorite impact and naturally frozen water. However, a few weeks later, after receiving a sample from the site, he revised his hypothesis—now claiming the event was caused by lightning striking a discarded bucket of dishwater.
Although Dr. Wiik admitted that the light phenomenon itself remained unexplained, he refused to abandon his dishwater theory. Other laboratories, however, reached entirely different conclusions.
At the Oulu Oy industrial laboratory, tests showed that the ice contained significant amounts of titanium and plant cell tissue in a state of decay. The titanium did not appear to have originated from the local soil or surrounding environment. Its even distribution suggested that it had been part of a compound substance. The plant matter was also distinct from the vegetation naturally found at the site.
Additionally, the dishwater theory was undermined by the fact that the greenish coloration was present only in the upper layers of ice. Had someone dumped dishwater there, the discoloration would have extended into the deeper layers as well. Moreover, no traces of coliform bacteria—common in household wastewater—were found in the samples.
The insistence on the dishwater explanation also highlighted the growing disconnect between urban professionals and rural life. Any housewife in the countryside would know exactly where she had thrown out her dishwater, making the claim seem not only inaccurate but also somewhat insulting.
Translated from source:
Tapani Kuningas: Ufojen jäljillä
The Blinding Light of Oulu
November 12, 1976
On the evening of Friday, November 12, 1976, seven school-age boys gathered in a small wooden shelter deep within the woods of the Rusko district in Oulu. Around 8 PM, their evening took an unexpected turn when they noticed an eerie glow coming from the northwest, beyond the trees. The light appeared bright yellow, with a slight bluish tint.
Eero Lammi, a 19-year-old with training as an electrician, observed the glow for a while before concluding that it could not have been a welding flame.
As the boys watched in amazement, two additional flashes appeared to the right of the glow, toward the northeast. These flashes were much brighter than the stars and moved rapidly behind the trees. Almost immediately after they disappeared, the boys spotted two bright yellow spheres hovering just 30–40 meters away at a height of about 1.5 meters above the ground.
Because there were trees behind the lights, the boys could estimate the distance quite accurately. Despite an obstructing thicket of shrubs, they noticed that the brightness of the spheres constantly fluctuated. At their smallest, with a diameter of about one meter, they shone their brightest. As they expanded to around 1.5 meters in size, they dimmed slightly.
Lammi and his friend, Seppo Moilanen, decided to approach the lights. However, as they closed the distance to about 10 meters, they hesitated and turned back. It was at that moment that Lammi noticed a sudden bright flash above him.
The next thing he knew, he was in pain. A searing, burning sensation shot through his chest, his vision turned red, and then everything went black. With a cry of agony, he collapsed onto the forest floor, lying on his back with his arm stiffly curled over his chest.
Moilanen, who had been walking beside Lammi, saw a bright beam of light shoot from above, striking Lammi in the chest. The beam then continued downward, fading about a meter away from his feet.
The other boys rushed to their fallen friend. At first, they feared he was dead. In a panic, they carried him back to the shelter. Lammi’s entire body was stiff, but once inside, he began showing signs of regaining consciousness. He attempted to stand, but his legs wouldn’t support him.
The boys laid him down on a couch, checked his pulse, and found it had dropped to an alarming 40 beats per minute. After a few minutes, he began muttering weakly: “It hurts… the light… the light…” Slowly, he became more alert, though his chest remained sore.
At this point, the boys decided to head to Moilanen’s house, about 200 meters away. Before leaving, they noticed that the strange lights had vanished.
Once at home, they examined Lammi more closely. The skin on the center of his chest, just below the ribs, was red and covered in tiny pinprick-like marks. Under a magnifying glass, it looked as though someone had pricked his skin with dozens of needles. A similar reddish mark was also found on his back.
By the next morning, Lammi was feeling much better, with only mild tenderness in his chest. By midday, the redness had faded completely.
The boys returned to the site that evening, hoping to find evidence of what had happened. They believed they discovered three triangular indentations in the ground, but when local UFO researchers arrived a couple of days later, the marks were gone. It had snowed lightly since the incident, but the investigators also suspected that the "triangular marks" could have been the product of overactive imaginations. The terrain in the area was uneven and covered in loose, soft soil, which could create misleading patterns.
Further credibility was given to the boys’ account when it was revealed that several other witnesses—two teenage girls from a neighboring house and a married couple living half a kilometer away—had also seen strange lights that evening. After the story gained attention, two additional reports surfaced, one from an assistant professor at the University of Oulu. However, no one else had witnessed the mysterious energy beam.
Translated from sources:
Quarter Report 4-76, Suomen ufotutkijat ry
Ultra 11-12/76, page 2
Tapani Koivula: Outo säde tyrmäsi nuorukaisen, Ultra 1/77, pages 4-5
The UFO Fleet of Pahkakoski
March 19, 1979
When evaluating the significance of a UFO sighting, factors such as the duration of the observation, the number of objects seen, and the intensity of the experience all play a role. By these criteria, the event that took place near the Pahkakoski power plant in Yli-Ii, Finland, on March 19, 1979, ranks among the most remarkable UFO sightings in the country’s history.
Teuvo Kovalainen, a heavy-equipment operator, had started his night shift at 10 PM on March 18 at a work site located about 300–400 meters southwest of the power plant. His job involved monitoring groundwater pumping operations, taking measurements every hour. The night was exceptionally clear, with freezing temperatures and no fog or mist.
At midnight, Kovalainen took a break and walked toward a small work cabin on the northern bank of the Iijoki River. As he crossed the dam bridge, he noticed a large reddish light descending beyond a distant forest. He speculated that it could be a Soviet space object making a controlled descent. After drinking his coffee, he returned to work.
At 1:30 AM, Kovalainen was on his way back from a routine measurement when he spotted another bright reddish light, this time about 400 meters away, moving at a steady walking pace toward the west. He found the sight unusual but did not yet connect it to anything extraordinary.
At 1:45 AM, as he was heading for his meal break, he noticed an even more striking sight. A powerful red light was visible about four kilometers downstream from the power plant. "There’s something strange going on here!" he shouted over the intercom to the plant’s control operator, who then stepped outside to take a look.
The two men began closely observing the approaching object. It hovered about ten meters above the ground, and based on the lights, they concluded it was some kind of craft. One side of the object emitted a reddish glow, while the opposite side glowed blue. As it advanced westward, it appeared to rotate around its vertical axis, alternately revealing its red and blue sides. The light did not come from a single source; rather, it seemed to be a diffuse glow extending two to three meters beyond the object itself.
The men watched the phenomenon for about half an hour. They noted a second, fainter set of red and blue lights on the craft’s upper section. Afterward, they left the site to check another power plant six kilometers away. During that trip, they saw nothing unusual.
Upon returning to Pahkakoski at just before 3 AM, the men were shocked by what they saw. Previously, there had been just one unidentified craft. Now, there were two hovering about 600 meters southwest of the dam. But that wasn’t all—when they looked further to the left, they saw many more glowing objects. The number was difficult to determine as the lights kept moving, but they estimated at least 14 or 15 craft.
The control operator had to return to the plant, but Kovalainen stayed on the bridge, determined to observe the phenomenon in greater detail.
He noticed that the two nearest objects had what appeared to be directional lights. One pointed toward Oulu, while the other faced the dam. Suddenly, the latter object made an astonishingly rapid movement, shifting 200–300 meters to the left in less than a second, vanishing behind the forest. The other craft lowered itself almost to the snow-covered ground, making it easier to discern.
For the first time, the shape of the craft became clear—Kovalainen could see that it was disc-shaped. He estimated its diameter to be around 30 meters. The structure was divided into two distinct sections. The upper part had two openings, each about 2–3 meters wide, located on opposite sides. The bottom section was relatively flat, with a base diameter of around ten meters.
Over the next 30 minutes, Kovalainen watched as the crafts continued to hover in the area. He considered approaching them, but caution held him back. Throughout the entire observation, no flames, smoke, or exhaust were visible, and no sound was heard. At one point, the object closest to him projected a bright beam of light onto the ground and made a slight rocking motion.
Gradually, the crafts started moving westward. Kovalainen followed their slow procession until dawn. The last visible object was still present at 5:45 AM. By then, the morning light had fully arrived, and the craft, now appearing “as large as a house,” slowly disappeared into the horizon.
The event left many questions unanswered. Why had the UFO fleet lingered near the power plant for over four hours? Was the craft closest to the plant experiencing some kind of malfunction? Was it trying to draw energy from the facility? Given the frequency of UFO sightings near power plants and transmission lines worldwide, one intriguing theory emerged—perhaps extraterrestrials saw Earth’s power plants as a kind of interstellar refueling station!
Translated from sources:
Ultra-magazine 1-8/80
Communication with a Flashlight
September 16, 1979
In the autumn of 1979, a mysterious sequence of events unfolded on a remote lake in Central Finland. Though the incident appeared harmless on the surface, it contained unsettling elements that ultimately drove one family to flee the area in fear. The events suggest that the phenomenon was caused by an entity with advanced technology or abilities beyond human comprehension.
It all began innocently enough on the evening of September 16. Heimo Kataja (a pseudonym) and his family had arrived at their secluded lakeside cabin to spend the weekend. The weather was cloudy, with a light breeze coming from the lake.
At around 9 PM, Kataja noticed a bright point of light hovering between two islands, approximately one kilometer south of his shoreline. Assuming it was night fishermen illegally using lamps to attract fish, he decided to have some fun and flashed his flashlight toward the light, turning it on and off several times.
To his surprise, the light immediately dimmed and then went out completely. Kataja turned to his son, Raimo (also a pseudonym), and said, "They saw my signal!" Then, thinking nothing more of it, they went inside.
Less than a minute later, Kataja stepped back outside—and was startled to see that the light had reappeared, now in the southwest and significantly closer. Curious, he repeated his flashing signal.
This time, the response was immediate and much more dramatic. The light didn’t just flicker back—it directed a powerful beam of light straight at him. The beam soon faded, but the original light remained, until it suddenly began gliding silently toward a nearby island. Then, things became even stranger.
From behind the island, a second light appeared. This one also emitted a strong beam that swept across the sky, as if searching for something. Kataja was stunned—he hadn’t seen such a powerful spotlight since wartime searchlights. As the first light reached the second, the second light switched off. The first light then altered its course, moved out toward the open lake, increased its speed, and faded into a luminous mist as it disappeared toward the horizon.
By now, Raimo had joined his father to witness the bizarre display. "Let’s say goodbye properly," Kataja joked, flashing his light once more. The distant glowing mist suddenly re-illuminated with a bright flash—and then began turning back toward them.
Kataja, now growing uneasy, told Raimo to fetch their camera. Once it was set up, Raimo took a long-exposure photograph of the light. Then, the light stopped, flickered a few times, and vanished. At the same moment, the second light—now forgotten—reappeared. This time, it shot forward at great speed, crossing the lake and disappearing into the horizon. Once again, the lake was plunged into total darkness.
Kataja and his son remained outside for a long time, trying to make sense of what they had seen. They considered the possibility that they had witnessed boats moving on the lake. However, based on their daytime knowledge of the area, they knew that if the lights had been from motorboats, the engine noise would have been clearly audible long before the lights were visible.
One week later, the family returned to the cabin. They observed the lake carefully all evening, but nothing unusual appeared. Just before bedtime, Kataja did one last check outside.
To his shock, a thin beam of light suddenly emerged from beyond the lake’s far shore, stretching high into the sky. He called Raimo outside, and together they watched as the beam slowly faded. Then, a bright light appeared at its upper end, growing in intensity before it began moving toward the northeast. As it traveled, it gradually faded and disappeared. That night, there were no further events.
Three weeks later, on October 14, the family visited the cabin again. At 8:15 PM, Kataja once more spotted a small bright light in the same location as before. He decided to flash his light at it again.
This time, the response was swift—the light immediately moved out toward the lake, flashed back at them, turned into a glowing mist, and disappeared into the horizon. Moments later, a powerful searchlight-like beam swept across the sky. Then, all went dark again.
Later that night, the family saw multiple flashes of light behind the distant shoreline but assumed that the immediate area was clear. They continued their routine until 11 PM, when they finally decided to go to bed.
Just before heading inside, Kataja had an impulsive thought—he turned back toward the lake and flashed his light one final time.
That was a mistake.
Immediately, bright lights erupted all over the lake. A single glowing sphere appeared first, followed by a second, a third, and then a fourth—each spaced about half a kilometer apart.
The lights began moving together, forming a tight formation as they glided quickly toward the cabin.
Kataja, realizing the situation was becoming more serious, sent his family inside and remained outside to see what would happen.
As the lights closed in to within 800 meters of the shore, they suddenly broke formation and began darting wildly in different directions, crisscrossing the lake in seemingly erratic movements.
What followed was an extraordinary display. The lights zipped back and forth across the lake, sometimes moving slowly, other times accelerating rapidly. They made sharp, abrupt turns, vanished over the horizon, reappeared elsewhere, and flickered on and off in random patterns.
It was impossible to make sense of the chaotic movements. The sheer unpredictability of the spectacle made it all the more terrifying. Eventually, the family had seen enough. They quickly packed up, got into their car, and left the cabin in the middle of the night. As a memento, they had seven slides from their camera, showing glowing dots and streaks of light.
So, what was happening on this remote, isolated lake? Strange lights over bodies of water are not uncommon. But in cases where the lights respond to human presence—especially to direct signals—observers often feel they are being targeted or even harassed. Was this an elaborate prank by extraterrestrial "tricksters" with advanced technology? Or were these unmanned probes, conducting some kind of survey, with humans merely interfering with their operations? Perhaps the lights were simply not meant to be interacted with at all.
Translated from source: Tapani Kuningas - Muukalaisia ja humanoideja
The Birthday Guest of Sysmä
May 1, 1993
On May 1, 1993, a group of about 20 men and women—both younger and older—gathered at a house along Järvenpääntie in Sysmä, Finland, to celebrate the 30th birthday of Mika Tossavainen (a pseudonym). Since the weather was clear, calm, and pleasantly warm at around 20°C, the party was held outdoors. The guests chatted, sang, and enjoyed themselves, as one would expect at a festive gathering.
Around 8 PM, one of the guests walked from a garden swing to the refreshment table and happened to glance up at the sky. Near the top of a nearby spruce tree, they spotted a bright flash.
“Hey! Look at that thing moving between the trees!” the guest called out, unable to immediately come up with a logical explanation for what they were seeing.
The word spread quickly, and soon, the entire group of partygoers gathered to stare at the strange object in the sky.
By the time the other guests had turned their attention to it, the object had moved significantly closer and was now shining brightly in the setting sunlight. It was positioned at about a 40–50 degree angle above the nearby open field, heading in from the southeast.
It was clearly a disc-shaped craft. No wings, propellers, or other conventional aircraft features were visible.
When the guests later described the sighting to a UFO investigator, one of the most puzzling details was the color of the craft—opinions varied widely. Some said it was black, while others described it as brownish, dark gray, metallic, or even chrome-colored with a golden hue. Some witnesses reported seeing a bright light on the side of the craft, while others claimed they could make out panels or windows. A few believed that reflections from the sun made it seem as though the craft was spinning.
The range of differing descriptions could have been caused by the stark contrast between the bright sunlight and the dark object. Another possibility is that the disc was surrounded by an electromagnetic field, which could have distorted its appearance—a phenomenon reported in other UFO encounters.
The guests’ estimates of the object’s size, altitude, and speed also varied. The most common estimate for its diameter was around seven meters, with guesses ranging from four to ten meters. Estimated distances ranged from 150 to 500 meters, while altitude estimates varied between 30 and 200 meters—though the altitude likely changed during the sighting. The object’s speed was compared to that of an airplane, a slow-moving aircraft, or a car, with one witness suggesting it traveled at around 70–100 km/h.
As the saucer passed by, it tilted slightly from side to side with a gentle rocking motion before eventually disappearing over the horizon toward the northwest.
The luckiest guests were able to observe the UFO for about two minutes, while the slower-reacting ones only caught a glimpse lasting ten seconds. Based on later investigations, the most likely duration of the sighting was approximately one minute.
All of the witnesses agreed on one striking fact: the object moved in complete silence.
Despite the undeniable strangeness of what they had just witnessed, no one at the party felt any fear. Perhaps the presence of so many people helped them remain calm. Even the family dog showed no unusual reactions. Furthermore, no strange physical effects were reported.
The group discussed the event among themselves, trying to find a rational explanation. However, they were unable to come up with anything that made sense.
Over the years, people have become increasingly open about their UFO experiences, and the stigma surrounding such reports has decreased significantly. However, the guests at the Sysmä birthday party were not ready to fully embrace the spotlight. After careful deliberation, they decided that none of them would publicly reveal their identities.
Translated from source:
Lasse Ahonen-Tapio Äyräväinen: Uforaportti 1. Suomen ufotutkijat ry. Jyväskylä 1994
Case descriptions based on book from Tapani Kuningas, Teuvo E. Laitinen & Markku Löfman: 100 ufoa Suomessa, Kirjayhtymä, Helsinki 1994
The Rovaniemi Military Depot Incident, 1971
This case is, in many ways, one of the most unusual and perplexing UFO incidents in Finland. The investigation and inquiry into the case have involved many unique phases and developments.
It has become one of the most compelling UFO cases in our country. What makes it significant is that military personnel were involved, and the event took place in a restricted military area, where civilians have no access or reason to be.
I refer to the main witness of the incident by the pseudonym "Simo" because he did not want his real name to be used when discussing the case. At the time of my initial contacts with him, Simo was still employed by the state (Defense Forces), which partly explains why he was very cautious about discussing the events, even though a long time had passed.
When I interviewed him, Simo expressed concern that he did not want to be interrogated about what he had disclosed. This is a reasonable concern, even though such experiences are not typically scrutinized in Finland as they might be in many other countries. No wonder obtaining information required considerable effort and the right psychological approach during interviews.
He also did not want to discuss the event in front of his family, although he mentioned that his wife was aware of it.
Below is some background on how the author of this report came to learn about the extraordinary event detailed here.
How the Case Came to My Attention
A relative of mine, knowing that I had been a UFO investigator for a long time, told me about meeting someone at their workplace cafeteria. Both worked for a telephone company.
During a coffee break, the conversation had drifted to memories of their time in military service and various events from that period. This individual had recounted a strange incident that had happened to his roommate during their conscription service in Rovaniemi, at a secret Air Force storage facility, in 1974.
Upon hearing this account, my relative immediately recognized its extraordinary nature. He decided to share it with me during his next visit to my home, which happened very soon afterward. He gave me a detailed description of the case as he had heard it from his colleague.
The description immediately caught my interest. I quickly realized that it involved something out of the ordinary. The sighting had occurred within a military area, and the UFO had even been fired upon. I immediately asked my relative whether they knew the name of the conscript who had experienced the event or had any possible contact details. My relative promised to look into it and try to find out. Surprisingly, the information was uncovered quite quickly. I now had the name and phone number of the conscript involved in the incident. He lived in Rovaniemi. (At the Artic Circle)
The Incident
"Simo" was serving his mandatory military service in Rovaniemi Airforce base in 1974. The incident occurred during his guard duty one autumn night. He could not recall the exact date, but it was most likely in September.
That evening, Simo was on duty at the storage facility of the garrison, located near Rovaniemi. The dramatic sequence of events began shortly before midnight. While patrolling the perimeter of the storage area, Simo noticed a reflection of light coming from the direction of the road. This road led to an underground storage facility built inside a rock formation.
Simo described the light as bluish, resembling the glow of a gas flame. As he walked closer, he saw an object hovering above the road. It appeared round, but no windows or other details were not visible.
The Difficulty of Estimating Altitude
Estimating the altitude of the object was also difficult because Simo was observing it from above, standing on a rock formation that was higher than the road where the object was hovering. The object appeared metallic and emitted an unusual blue glow. Initially, he thought there was a truck on the road. However, as he moved closer and had a direct line of sight, he immediately realized that this was something entirely different from any human-made device.
The object was a silent, round craft with a diameter of approximately 3–4 meters. It had landed on the road leading into the underground storage facility, near the entrance to the storage caverns. At this point, Simo was about 40 meters away from the object, positioned above the road on the rock formation where the guard patrol route passed.
At that moment, Simo realized that his fellow guard was inside the storage facility, behind closed doors, performing his own guard duty. This realization caused Simo particular concern.
Taking Action
Simo decided to act. He fired a few single shots from his submachine gun at the object hovering above the road. Immediately, the object began to glide backward rapidly and silently, disappearing around a corner behind sand embankments.
The object did not ascend directly upwards but instead left by flying at a low altitude, moving backward and to the side, out of sight.
Simo could not determine how long the encounter lasted. However, he did not believe he had experienced the so-called "missing time" phenomenon, where a period of time is unaccounted for. Due to the shock of the event, he could not be entirely certain.
After the shooting and once the UFO had vanished, Simo ran toward his superior’s residence in a state of panic. In his distress, he dropped his weapon at the location where he had fired.
Aftermath of the Encounter
As a result of the encounter, Simo developed "boils" on his legs. He was treated by the military doctor for these symptoms, which were suspected to be caused by radiation exposure. Simo stated that the boils left permanent marks on his legs, which were still visible decades later.
Simo also mentioned that a nearby amateur radio operator had reported unusual radio interference around the time of the event. (At that point, he did not realize that his superior and the radio operator were the same person.)
The other conscript, who had been standing guard inside the cave, was unaware of the event because he was approximately 100 meters away from the cave entrance or doors.
According to Simo, the military conducted an investigation into the incident afterward. A researcher from Tikkakoski was sent to examine what had happened. However, Simo was not informed of the findings.
Simo had never experienced any similar events before, nor had he encountered anything related to unidentified flying objects after this incident.
Psychological Impact
The experience was highly stressful for Simo. Even decades later, he remained very reluctant to talk about it. In almost every phone conversation, I had to persuade him to share details about the event. During interviews, it became clear that he harbored a deep-seated fear regarding the incident.
Additional Investigations
In 2006, I decided to reach out to Simo again by phone and conduct a preliminary interview about the course of events. Simo was very reserved about my call and showed little willingness to discuss the incident. However, when I explained what I knew about the event, he eventually admitted that my information was correct and aligned with what had happened.
He seemed fearful and concerned when I asked about the event. After a lengthy effort to reassure him, Simo acknowledged that this was an exceptionally unusual case, and preserving the information for future generations was important and reasonable.
Following long discussions and persuasion, Simo finally confirmed the course of events and recounted them consistently, just as I had heard from my relative.
Simo remained very frightened and repeatedly asked why there was interest in the case and why it was being investigated.
Further Investigations and Continued Contact with Simo
When I explained the role of Finnish UFO researchers and their methods for investigating and documenting cases, Simo visibly calmed down and became more receptive to my interview.
During our conversation, an interesting fact emerged: Simo was actually working at the same location where the UFO encounter had taken place in 1974—at the Rovaniemi Airforce base. (Lapin Lennosto) This naturally explained why he was so concerned about the resurfacing of the incident. His worries were evident, as he was still employed by the military.
After we had gone through the details of the case, I asked if I could call him again later for possible further clarifications, to which Simo agreed.
Proceeding with Caution
I decided to proceed carefully. A few weeks later, in 2006, I called Simo again to clarify a few more aspects of the case, to reconfirm the sequence of events, and to ensure the consistency of the information compared to my previous interview.
Once again, Simo was extremely reserved and reluctant to talk about the incident. Essentially, I had to restart the interview almost from scratch. After a lengthy conversation, Simo calmed down, and we were able to go over the event once more. The new interview confirmed all the details I had previously obtained. His description was entirely consistent with my earlier interview.
I also attempted to get permission to visit Simo in person in Rovaniemi, but he refused.
The Emotional Toll on Simo
It was evident that the experience had been extremely distressing for Simo. He mentioned that the incident still occupied his thoughts daily.
At this point, I decided to wait until Simo retired from military service, hoping that this might make him more willing to discuss the case. To my understanding, his retirement was not far off.
Renewing Contact
I decided to reach out to Simo again in April 2009. On my first call, I left a voicemail message, but I received no response. A week later, I called again, and this time, Simo answered. He was driving at the time but was unwilling to discuss the matter at that moment. (Later, I realized that his family was likely in the car with him, and he did not want to talk about the incident in their presence.)
A few days later, I contacted him again and tried to arrange a personal meeting in Rovaniemi. We briefly went over the events once more, though Simo remained very reluctant to talk about them.
I also asked him directly whether he had been forbidden from discussing the matter. According to Simo, he had not been explicitly prohibited from speaking about it, but he had been made to understand that it would be better not to talk about it. However, no official confidentiality agreement had been required of him. Instead, he had been explicitly forbidden from discussing anything that happened in the military, anything related to the military, or what was stored inside the underground facility.
Even this time, Simo was not willing to meet in person. However, he did give me permission to contact him by phone again if further questions arose.
A Sudden Change in Attitude
The next day, I received a text message from Simo stating that he no longer wanted to "dwell on old matters." I assumed that this was the end of the conversation, but as a UFO investigator, sometimes one must exercise both tact and determination. I decided to call Simo one last time, feeling that there was nothing to lose at this stage.
I approached the conversation as delicately as possible. After some discussion about the event and after emphasizing the importance of documenting the case for future generations, I was able to verify and clarify a few additional details I had been seeking confirmation on.
Further Contact with Simo
I was finally granted permission to reach out to Simo by phone again if necessary. However, he set a condition: any contact should only take place during office hours.
This time, Simo spoke about the incident more freely than on previous occasions. Nevertheless, it remained clear that the case had caused him significant stress.
Contacting the Air Command Chief Rauno Meriö
I received two phone numbers for Rauno Meriö from a person using the pseudonym "Interested." Despite multiple attempts, I was unable to reach him. I decided to try again later, as interviewing Meriö could provide valuable additional information about the case.
Meriö was reportedly the commander of Lapland Air Command in Rovaniemi in 1974.
On November 10, 2015, I received a callback from Rauno Meriö. He confirmed that he had indeed been the commander of Lapland Air Command at the time of the UFO incident. However, he stated that he was not aware of such an event occurring during his tenure. According to him, he had no recollection of the incident. This made the case even more mysterious.
Additional Information on the Case
A person interested in the case, who had reviewed the details of case No. 91 on the www.fufora.fi website, contacted me. (This individual was not a UFO investigator but was personally intrigued by the case.)
Driven by curiosity, he had independently begun searching archives for additional information. Initially, he found no relevant materials in the records he examined.
Then, he got lucky. He discovered a brief article in a book discussing the Finnish Defense Forces' UFO encounters. The article contained a short mention of a UFO incident in Rovaniemi.
The key revelation in the article was that the event had actually taken place in 1971, not 1974. The correct location was identified as the Pikku-Olkkavaara military storage area near Rovaniemi.
After reading the article, it became evident to me that it described the same case. The incident was briefly documented in the book *Puolustusvoimien ufohavainnot 1933–1979* (UFO Observations by the Finnish Defense Forces 1933–1979) by Atso Haapanen.
This was a crucial discovery. I decided to call Simo to verify the correct date of the event.
New Information on November 16, 2015
I called Simo. Unfortunately, the situation was difficult for an interview—he revealed that he was suffering from advanced cancer and was waiting for an ambulance to take him back to the hospital. I had called at the last possible moment.
Despite his condition, Simo gathered his strength and confirmed the correct date and exact location of the incident. We had been using the wrong year for the event. The correct date was August 22, 1971, at approximately 01:20 AM.
I asked Simo for the name of the investigator who had examined the case, but he could no longer recall it. However, he did remember that the investigator had come from Tikkakoski to investigate the incident.
Simo also mentioned that the head of the Pikku-Olkkavaara storage facility at the time was a radio amateur, but he could not remember his name.
Unfortunately, I could not ask further questions due to Simo’s severe pain at the time of the call. Still, it was invaluable that he managed to provide these confirmations despite his condition.
A New Direction in the Investigation
With the newly confirmed dates, I continued investigating the case.
The fact that the incident had already been documented in some form (as mentioned in the book) gave the case an entirely new dimension. This new information added a fresh and intriguing perspective to this mysterious event.
New Information: October 30–31, 2018
The case appears to attract significant public interest. I have personally spoken about it many times during my lectures.
Once again, I received a highly significant tip—this time from a taxi entrepreneur in Rovaniemi who contacted me. He claimed to know the identity of the radio amateur connected to the case.
At that point, he did not know the radio amateur’s name, but he did know where he lived, as he had given him taxi rides before. The taxi driver promised to inform me once he had confirmed the name.
On October 30, 2018, I received a phone call. The taxi driver now had the name and phone number of the radio amateur in question. He had also obtained permission from the person, allowing me to contact him and discuss the case.
At this point, the investigation took a new and very significant turn.
Phone Interviews: October 30–31, 2018
I called the number I had received, reaching the person who had been engaged in amateur radio communication at the military storage site during the UFO incident.
The person’s name was Heino Aho. (He granted permission for his real name to be used in connection with the case.)
At the time of the incident, he held the military rank of Senior Warrant Officer and worked at the storage facility as a communications officer at the reception center Pikku-Olkkavaara.
He was in the middle of a hamradio contact with the WB0AME amateur radio station in the United States when, suddenly, at 22:40 GMT (00:40 local time), his receiver went completely silent.
At first, he suspected that the antenna had become disconnected, but all connectors were in place, and there were no visible faults in the equipment. However, the receiver had gone completely dead, which was utterly inexplicable.
There was a slight discrepancy between this reported time and the previously recorded time, but this new timestamp was exact, as Heino Aho had written it down in his logbook and had even marked the entry with the notation: "UFO" at that point in the communication log.
At that time, keeping a detailed logbook of radio contacts was mandatory. The precise time of contact, along with other relevant information, had to be recorded. Given that Aho was both a communications officer and a radio amateur, he was highly accustomed to these routine log entries. They were part of his duties. Every contact was logged to the log book.
The Sequence of Events
Shortly after the radio contact was lost, Heino Aho heard knocking on his door. Standing outside was a distressed and breathless guard, who had come to report what had just happened.
The guard, Simo, informed Heino Aho that he had fired shots at an unknown object in front of the cave entrance.
Upon hearing that gunfire had been involved, Aho immediately realized that something highly unusual had occurred. Firing a weapon while on guard duty was a serious event that triggered immediate response measures.
Heino quickly dressed, and they headed together to the scene of the incident.
The conscript guard had told Heino that he initially thought a truck had arrived at the entrance of the storage tunnel. However, he quickly realized that no one had opened the gate to allow any vehicle to enter at that time of night. Simo described that, as he approached the glowing light, he saw a round, bright object in front of the tunnel doors. The object’s diameter was roughly the width of the road. At first, he pointed his flashlight at the object, and the UFO reacted. According to Simo, as soon as the beam of light hit the object, it popped into view.
(When I asked for clarification on the word "popped", Aho suggested that it might have been some kind of sound emitted by the object.) At that moment, Simo fired several shots at the craft with his submachine gun.
According to the earlier version of the story, he fired five rounds, but according to Heino Aho, only two shell casings were found at the scene during the investigation.
As soon as the shots were fired, the craft rose slightly, tilted slightly to the side, and moved backward before disappearing from the area.
According to Heino Aho
According to Heino, the guard followed standard protocol by firing at an unauthorized intruder within the restricted area. In all other aspects, his description of the event aligned with Simo’s earlier accounts.
The discovery of Heino Aho has been extremely significant for the investigation of this case.
He also revealed that at the time, the incident was widely discussed in Rovaniemi, and many people were aware of it. However, over time, the case was on the verge of being completely forgotten.
According to Heino Aho, information regarding the event was removed from military records at some point in the 1980s, when archive shelves were being cleared. However, this clearance only applied to documents stored in Rovaniemi. It is reasonable to assume that the original documents had been forwarded through the military hierarchy long before.
A Mysterious Encounter at Tikkakoski
Heino Aho also recalled an unusual encounter that occurred at Tikkakoski several years later, likely at some point in the 1980s.
During a military officers’ gathering at Tikkakoski, where personnel were attending a formal event, a civilian-dressed man unexpectedly joined Heino’s table. This person seemed to recognize Heino, yet Heino had no idea who he was.
Strangely, the man began asking detailed questions about the 1971 Rovaniemi UFO case.
Heino found it surprising that this man had such precise knowledge of the incident. He seemed particularly interested in specific details and continued pressing Heino for information.
It is important to note that this Tikkakoski encounter took place long before I documented the case in the fufora.fi database. Therefore, the information could not have been accessed from that source, nor was Heino Aho’s involvement publicly known at the time.
The big question remains: Who was this man who inquired about the case at an officers’ event?
It raises serious suspicions about whether the military had personnel assigned to monitor and investigate UFO phenomena or whether another organization was involved. Whoever this individual was, he must have had:
- Access to the officers' event
- Knowledge of the 1971 UFO incident
- Awareness of Heino Aho’s role in the event
The case had not been publicly discussed until I later transferred it to the SUT database. While the incident had been briefly mentioned in the previously referenced book, the details in that book were very limited.
Who was this person who knew about Heino Aho’s connection to the event and was able to question him about it at a military officers’ gathering?
Another intriguing detail was that the man was in civilian clothing, while all other military ersonnel were in formal dress uniforms. This was something that puzzled Heino Aho.
The Strength of Case No. 91
With these new findings, Case No. 91 has gained strong new evidence and additional insights into this highly significant and thought-provoking event. UFO investigators are particularly interested in the fact that the sighting occurred in a strategically significant area, completely inaccessible to civilians. Access to the site was strictly limited to carefully selected military personnel or conscripts with special clearance who were assigned to guard duty.
The Big Question
Why did a UFO-like craft stop in front of a military storage facility door?
Any researcher familiar with UFO cases is aware of multiple reports of unidentified craft appearing near military installations, especially in locations where nuclear weapons are stored. In the Rovaniemi 1971 case, the two main witnesses were experienced military professionals, both of whom provided consistent accounts of the event.
Additionally, conscript soldiers were aware of the incident, and information about it had even reached civilians in Rovaniemi. Based on these investigations and interviews, any possibility of this being a hoax or fabricated event can be completely ruled out.
The 1971 Rovaniemi case has now emerged as one of the most significant and credible UFO cases in Finland.
Official Military Documents Found
Jarmo Ikonen has conducted extensive searches in various archives to uncover additional material.
Jarmo Ikonen’s Investigation
"I began by reviewing Lapin Kansa’s (newspaper) microfilm archives from 1969 to 1972 to determine whether there had been other similar sightings reported at the time and to see if anything significant had happened in August 1971 that would have been covered in the press.
There were indeed quite a few interesting cases, surprisingly many, and the press seemed to report on them quite openly. This was a pleasant surprise.
However, to my disappointment, I found nothing related to Case #91 in the week before or after August 22, 1971."
Discovery of Military Records
Jarmo was able to locate four pages of military records concerning this case. These newly discovered documents confirm that the UFO landing at the Rovaniemi Pikku-Olkkavaara storage area was a real event. The discovery of these documents is highly significant and further validates the authenticity of the incident. Additionally, an intriguing piece of information emerged possible radioactivity was investigated at the site of the event.
The individual who fired at the UFO had previously reported in an interview that he suffered a radiation-type injury on his legs. He mentioned scars that remained on his legs for the rest of his life.
Missing Documents
Another notable revelation from the submitted reports was that not all documents related to this case have been released to the public. For some reason, certain documents are still withheld and have not been declassified. However, we now know that official military records exist and that the military conducted an investigation into the event.
This raises an important question:
Why are all the documents related to this case still not disclosed?
Even from the newly discovered pages, it is clear that this was an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UFO-related event). What aspect of this case is so significant that it prevents the release of all related documents?
One of the Most Significant UFO Cases in Finnish History
These newly found military documents elevate this case to one of the most important UFO incidents in Finland’s history. In fact, given the strength of the evidence, it may be considered the most significant UFO case ever recorded in Finland. One important aspect of this case is that the individuals involved were military professionals. Although the conscript guard on duty at the time was not a professional soldier, he later became a career military professional and served in the army for the rest of his life. The newly discovered military records were
compiled by military professionals, adding further credibility to the case.
Jarmo Ikonen Writes About the Search for the Documents
"I began by reviewing Lapin Kansa’s microfilm archives from 1969 to 1972 to determine whether there had been other similar sightings reported at the time and to see if anything significant had happened in August 1971 that would have been covered in the press.
There were indeed quite a few interesting cases, surprisingly many, and the press seemed to report on them quite openly. This was a pleasant surprise. However, to my disappointment, I found nothing related to Case #91 in the week before or after August 22, 1971."
Jarmo was able to locate four pages of military records concerning this case. These documents confirm the details that have been discussed in these reports. The discovery of these documents is highly significant and further confirms the authenticity of the case.
Additionally, an intriguing piece of information emerged—possible radioactivity was investigated at the site of the event. The individual who fired at the UFO had previously reported in an interview that he suffered a radiation-type injury on his legs. He mentioned scars that remained on his legs for the rest of his life.
Ongoing Secrecy in Military Reports
One significant detail that emerged from the submitted reports is that not all documents related to this case have been made public. For some unknown reason, certain records are still being withheld. However, we now know that these documents exist and that the military did investigate the incident. This raises an important question:
Why have all the documents related to this case not been declassified?
The newly revealed pages already confirm that this event involved a UFO phenomenon. What was so significant that it prevented the full disclosure of all related documents?
A Case of Unparalleled Importance
With the newly obtained evidence, this case has become one of the most significant UFO incidents in Finnish history—perhaps even the most significant of all time.
One key aspect to note is that the individuals involved were military professionals.
While the conscript guard on duty at the time was not yet a professional soldier, he later became a career military officer, serving in the armed forces for the rest of his life. The newly found military reports were also written by professional military personnel, adding further credibility to the case.
A special acknowledgment is due to Jarmo Ikonen, whose persistence and determination led to the discovery of these crucial documents.
New Information from Former Rovaniemi Air Command Chief Rauno Meriö
Email from Rauno Meriö to Heikki Kulju, confirming that the Air Command’s leadership was aware of the incident at the Pikku-Olkkavaara storage facility.
Subject: Rovaniemi Incident Follow-Up
Hello Heikki,
I am following up once more on the Rovaniemi case, specifically regarding the shots fired by the guard.
At the time, I had only been commander of HämLsto (now LapLsto) for about a week. The incident was indeed investigated, and the soldier’s testimony was believed.
However, the matter remained a mystery.
The Antti Paloheimo mentioned in the report passed away in Oulunsalo a few years ago.
I must also say that the recruited guards in Rovaniemi were excellent in their duties, and the training for conscript guards was also good. The only real issue was the lack of personnel, as was the case in many places.
There was never any deliberate destruction of documents during my time, nor was there ever any reason to do so.
However, I do not believe any additional investigation records will be found—at least, I do not recall any.
Just wanted to add this after my busy summer schedule.
Rauno Meriö
Additional Details – December 20, 2022
After re-listening to my recorded phone interview with Heino Aho, I noticed a couple of small additional details:
Heino Aho stated that his radio equipment functioned normally again when he returned home around 03:00 AM. The radio had “fixed itself” in a mysterious way.
The guard’s emotional reaction:
Aho recalled that the guard was so deeply shaken by the event that he was no longer able to perform guard duties afterward. This explains why discussing the case was so difficult for him.
New Information – October 16, 2023
A resident of Central Ostrobothnia contacted me with new information.
This person had previously worked as a physiotherapist at the Rovaniemi garrison and had treated Simo multiple times.
According to the physiotherapist:
Simo never revealed the origin of the marks on his legs and other parts of his body. Only after hearing about the case did the physiotherapist connect the symptoms to the incident. Had he known that radiation was the cause, the treatment approach could have been different. Simo was a very reserved person and rarely spoke about anything personal.
This small but important piece of new information adds yet another layer of mystery to this extraordinary event.
Heikki Kulju