Some Other Russian Close Encounters

Popigai – some 35 million years ago, a superbolide (fireball) impacted the ground in far northern Siberia, creating a 100-km crater and, evidence shows, playing a role in the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event. It is believed to be the fourth largest meteorite impact on Earth and was caused by an asteroid that was at least 5 kilometers in diameter.

Borodino – on September 5, 1812, Napoleon was marching towards Moscow, and a small meteorite fell out of the sky and landed near a Russian artillery battery not far from the village of Gorky. A sentry picked up the meteorite and gave it to battery Commander A. L. Dietrichs. Two days later, the horrific Battle of Borodino took place there and over 70,000 lost their lives.

Tunguska – on June 30, 1908, a large air-burst explosion of a meteor occurred over the Stony Tunguska River, flattening 2,000 square kilometers of forest. Amazingly, it caused no human casualties. It was the largest impact event in recorded history.

Boguslavka – on October 18, 1916, two meteors, later found to weigh just under 200 kg and 60 kg, were seen falling from the sky over a 500 km radius in Primorye.

Vitim – on September 25, 2002, a much smaller bolide landed in the Vitim River basin in Irkutsk Oblast. No meteorites were ever found.

Chelyabinsk – on February 15, 2013, a superbolide, estimated at 20 meters in diameter (but with a mass greater than the Eiffel Tower), exploded about 30 km over Chelyabinsk after briefly burning brighter than the sun. It was visible from up to 100 km away and was captured by many car dash cams and cell phone cams and caused significant damages to buildings and structures.