An unidentified flying object was sighted by two Lithuanian policemen near their capital Vilnius, putting the city's entire force on alert, Russian news agency Itar-Tass said Wednesday.
The policemen say they saw a round, shining object on the main Vilnius-Miadininkai route, at around half past midnight 10 kilometres (six miles) from the capital city near the village of Nemejis, which was flashing and hovered 20 to 30 metres (65-95 feet) above the ground.
Agence France Presse, June 26, 1996 "At the same time, you could hear a strange sound - like electricity crackling," they said.
The policemen approached the UFO after watching it for almost half an hour. When they were some fifty metres from it, the object started to move upwards and away from them into the air, then accelerated towards Vilnius, Itar-Tass quoted the policemen as saying.
The entire Lithuanian policeforce in the area was subsequently put on alert. Van loads of rapid reaction force police and tracker dogs arrived on the scene, but the UFO had disappeared.
Police conducted tests on the area's ground composition, measured the air's radiation, and took sound recordings, while the police dogs remained unstirred by anything.
The grass in the area for 10 metres around where the UFO was sighted was visibly flattened.
The Vilnius police chief, Valentinas Ioukhniavitchous, [!!!] announced on the Lithuanian radio on Wednesday that the 2 policemen who had made the sighting were of sound and honest mind, Itar-Tass added.
From Richard S. Ralston
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