Chernyakovsk, Russia being encounter — March 4, 1979

The Chernyakhovsk story contains a direct retraction and a year discrepancy. The imported catalogue gives March 4, 1979; Felix Zigel’s Russian account reproduces a letter describing March 4, 1978, signed two days later under the altered surname Podnayev. Its author was subsequently identified as Aleksandr Podkopayev. In the letter, he described working at a family garden before approaching two silvery domes beyond a meadow. One supposedly glowed violet, spun and departed. Near the remaining object he claimed to see four figures arranging shiny objects: two had elongated bodies, very short legs and arms almost reaching the ground, while two were only fifty to sixty centimetres tall. All wore close-fitting dark-green suits; pointed silver-blue head coverings were described. He said the figures vanished, the remaining dome departed, and small glasslike pyramids appeared at the site. He claimed to retain one containing crystals. However, Zigel records that investigator L. Petrova located Podkopayev, who said he had invented the entire story and possessed no pyramid. Zigel interpreted the denial as fear of publicity, but that was his opinion, not evidence overturning the admission. Later summaries add masks, red eyes and a saluting gesture absent from this letter. The plate illustrates the retracted story with an explicit warning label, rather than presenting it as a confirmed encounter.