The Bizarre Flying Objects That Terrorized the Soviet Union

Starting in 1956, a peculiar challenge emerged for the Soviet military authorities. Hovering high above their territories, countless reconnaissance balloons presented more than an inconvenience.

These balloons, originating from Western nations, were not merely carrying propaganda leaflets. Concealed within their fabric were the hidden potentials of espionage, armed with the might of reconnaissance equipment and even the prospect of explosives. As such, the Soviet Union found itself thrust into an intense battle against this elusive and menacing adversary.

Some of the intrusive balloons managed to penetrate deep into Soviet territory, traveling over thousands of miles. But despite possessing fighter jets and anti-aircraft missiles, existing Soviet defense mechanisms proved inadequate against the elusive nature of their opponents.

As the Soviet Union tried to safeguard its borders and defend its secrets against the ever-looming presence of the enemy, they were forced to devise specialized measures to counter the threat…

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[larryjohnson]

I had kinda heard about balloons and such in the 70's but I didn't know to believe it or not. Thank you for this video explaining what really happened.

[JRGProjects]

If only the Soviet Union had their own F-22 Raptor.. a proven balloon superiority fighter

[bf-]

Very interesting. I never heard of this aspect of the cold war before.

[vanpenguin]

I think in the last minute of this one, you touched on something rather intriguing.
"Satellite film reentry vehicles "
If you have some information on that, we'd all enjoy it, I'm sure.

[Тонилед]

Thank you for the high-quality video with a brief but informative analysis of a difficult topic.
I hope for additional videos on the topic of unusual Myasishchev planes.

[alejandrayalanbowman]

A lot of the balloons encountered by the Russiand were weather balloons blown there by the prevailing winds. I launched a lot of them between 1957 and 1960

[billreal]

Interesting ... I had no idea of our balloon program. Must have been a well-kept secret.

[ronaldlebeck]

Russia makes very odd-looking vehicles -- doesn't matter if it's planes, cars, ships, subs, spacecraft, or whatever. I've often wondered what the eff their designers were smoking...

[sheldonaubut]

I had no idea that the U.S. of A. flew Barrage Balloons over Russia. It is great to know that they fulfilled more than their intended purpose in WWII. 😁

[xlls]

I'm old enough to remember weather balloons going up.

[karlfonner]

Oh yes we had one of those balloons landed in Roswell in 1947. However, it was a balloon from another planet😂

[matthewsermons]

HA!
"Indeed, the Soviets were not amused"
The genius in both understatement and delivery might not ever be matched in my lifetime.

[bobbybrown.]

Brother these videos are well put together. But Your voice makes the video captivating
Keep at it . Its good and great. I Love it .thank You

[tunder]

6:56 a child only mother could love by it's looks😁

[jfrankcarr]

"Annoying Floating Objects" - AFO's

[dritzzdarkwood]

Both sides spied on each other, but to be fair, the U2 flights were millimeters away from a declaration of war by the US at a time when tensions were already maxed out.

[oneshotme]

I enjoyed your video so I gave it a Thumbs Up

[jamesowens]

Russian aircraft designers of the past were ahead of their time. Imagine if the halters were off the designs that would have been produced.

[AndyDrake-FOOKYT]

That laser plane sounds like a soviet response to the movie 'Real Genius'.

[lf]

Also USA: Chinese balloons? Ha! *uses billion $ aircraft and fuel with hundred's of thousands worth of ordinance to take down a single balloon instead of just using lasers or guns.