Soviet "Anenerbe": Brief background part 5

Until 1977, Soviet authorities officially denied the
existence of anomalous phenomena. Individuals studying
them were often equated with dissidents. The turning point 
was the Petrozavodsk phenomenon (https://shorten.ly/msvu),
a mass UFO observation, after which the country's leadership
ordered systematic investigation of the issue under the
auspices of the USSR Ministry of Defense. In 1978, a secret
program called "Setka" was established, tasked with
collecting and analyzing data on unexplained phenomena.
By 1990, the program was reorganized into Military Unit No.
10003 under the General Staff, which also conducted research
into anomalous human capabilities. Scientific support was
provided by the Air Force Institute. Practical interest in
the topic was reinforced by incidents affecting national
security. For example, on October 4, 1983, in one of the
missile units of the Carpathian Military District,
unauthorized influence was recorded on the control system
of ballistic missile launches. The launch menu was activated
on the command console, and a tape streamer executed part
of the program code. The launch was blocked by a security
system requiring codes from the General Staff. Control over
the complex was restored after the unidentified object
departed. Another area of research involved analyzing
artifacts that did not fit traditional historical paradigms.
For instance, the so-called "Kherson calculator" - a
mechanical device made of weathered oak and bronze - was
discovered in a Scythian kurgan in Crimea. Its key feature
was a programming system based on perforated cards similar
to a weaving loom. Such findings fueled hypotheses about the
existence of highly developed civilizations in ancient
times. These hypotheses were further developed through the
study of geological anomalies. In rocks aged 25,000-30,000
years in Kazakhstan, Siberia, and Crimea, traces of
radioactive fallout were found. Additionally, over 100
impact craters with diameters of 2-3 km were mapped by
satellites, including two large ones measuring 40 km in
South America and 120 km in Southern Africa. Their
preservation suggested a relatively recent origin in
geological terms - about 25,000 to 35,000 years ago.
The total explosive energy was estimated at around 5,000
megatons. Using this data, a computer model was created,
demonstrating catastrophic effects on the biosphere: nuclear
winter, ozone layer destruction, and atmospheric pressure
drops. This led to interpretations of mythological stories
and paleoanthropological finds (such as giant skeletons,
evidence of polyploidy, and six-fingered fossils) as
consequences of large-scale radiation exposure. The findings
formed the basis for a hypothesis of a global nuclear war in
antiquity, which some researchers believe could have been a
conflict between earthly civilizations (conditionally called
"Atlantis") and extraterrestrial forces. Traces of this
catastrophe - including myths of a worldwide flood and
various artifacts - were viewed as parts of a single ancient
cataclysm. Soviet research into anomalous phenomena was
purely applied, aimed at assessing potential threats.
A unique infrastructure was established for monitoring
and analyzing phenomena not recognized by official science.
The main outcome was not the confirmation or refutation of
controversial historical hypotheses but the development of
a mechanism for managing risks associated with unexplained
phenomena - demonstrating that ignoring such phenomena
could be more dangerous than studying them.