Ukrainian astronomers say they spotted more than 20 unidentified objects near the Moon in 2025 telescope footage and suggest the lunar surface could serve as a base for advanced craft. The claim, drawn from a non-peer-reviewed preprint, has raced across social media and entertainment sites. Independent verification remains absent.
Researchers report high-speed video from August and September 2025 captured faint signals they classify as “atmospheric” and “continental” objects. Some appear disc- or ring-shaped. Under the assumption the objects sit at lunar distance, sizes reach roughly 24–40 kilometers (15–25 miles). Speeds are listed in the 6–11 km/s range. Brief flashes and synchronized brightness changes are described as showing “intelligent behavior.” The authors write that such objects could reach Earth in about 20 minutes and that the Moon “serves as a base for UFOs.”
The preprint lists Boris Zhilyaev, Vladimir Petukhov, and Sergey Pokhvala of Ukraine’s Main Astronomical Observatory. Observations came from a site in Vinarivka using an Intes-Alter M603 telescope and ASI 294 Pro camera. Footage was processed with standard calibrations and enhanced for low-contrast signals that often measured only a few pixels. Zhilyaev, a long-time researcher in high-speed stellar photometry, has previously published UAP-related papers.
The work has not undergone peer review. Raw video and full datasets have not been released for independent analysis. Size and speed figures rest on the critical assumption that the objects were at lunar distance; closer phenomena would shrink dramatically in scale. The same team’s earlier UAP studies faced formal criticism from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the observatory’s Scientific Council, which flagged methodological errors, especially in distance calculations, and labeled aspects pseudo-scientific. No multi-station parallax data or confirmation from other observatories has appeared. NASA and other major space agencies have not reported alien structures or technology on or near the Moon.
Entertainment and tabloid coverage, including a Dexerto post and article, highlighted the “secret base” and giant-craft angles. Social media amplified the most dramatic phrasing while often soft-pedaling the lack of peer review and the distance caveat. Similar lunar-anomaly stories have circulated for decades without surviving rigorous scrutiny.
Unusual pixel-level signals in high-speed lunar video may deserve careful re-examination if the data are released. The leap to a secret alien base and intelligent extraterrestrial craft does not meet the standard of extraordinary evidence. Mainstream astronomy continues to treat the Moon as a geologically inert body studied for science and future human activity, not as a staging ground for non-human technology. Readers should separate the researchers’ speculative interpretation from verified observation.
