Most cryptozoology enthusiasts are familiar with Mothman— the humanoid beast said to be a herald of impending doom. But did you know that Russia is home to a nearly identical creature?
On April 26th, 1986 a horrific nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl Power Plant. Reactor Number 4 became catastrophically unstable after employees performed a simulative power outage safety test. A disastrous series of events unfolded which caused an uncontrollable chain reaction. Colossal amounts of energy were released causing the activator core to explode. For nine days, fire consumed the devastated structure and spewed out astronomical levels of radioactive contaminants. Humanity felt the dire implications of a fission calamity. Dozens of first responders agonizingly perished from radiation exposure, cancer rates skyrocketed and babies were born with appalling birth defects. Pripyat, a once-thriving city, had become an uninhabitable toxic wasteland and would remain so for the next twenty-thousand years.
Some believe residents had been pre-warned of the dreadful fallout. In the weeks preceding Chernobyl’s cataclysmic incident, a series of anomalous episodes took place. Locals who lived in close proximity to the eventual ‘exclusion zone’ repeatedly encountered a mysterious creature. Witnesses described its appearance as resembling a giant mutilated headless man with piercing red eyes. Petrified onlookers dubbed the curious aerial fiend The Blackbird of Chernobyl. Those who happened upon the sinister entity suffered from haunting nightmares and menacing phone calls. Citizens began to live in constant crippling fear that they may be the next victim to behold this nefarious figure. An abysmal winged monster was terrorizing the formerly quaint town.
One day after disaster struck, Soviet helicopters were dispatched to the annihilated facility. Beneath the chopper a horrifying scene unfolded. Rubble smoldered with plumes of dense smoke ominously emanated from the burning debris. Pilots circled the ravaged region in a state of disbelief. They hastily dropped lead, sand, clay and extinguishing materials onto the flames below. Authorities did not inform responding firefighters about the dire situation. Lack of disclosure resulted in improper preparations and the men received colossal amounts of lethal emissions. Several heroic souls lost their lives shortly after the harrowing ordeal.
However, those who survived the initial blast and consequential blaze, shared an unbelievable testimony. According to workers on duty that fateful night, a massive humanoid emerged from the decimated reactor’s noxious black fumes. It appeared bird-like in nature and possessed a twenty-foot wingspan. Two glowing crimson eyes peered through the contaminated smog. Onlookers gawked as the peculiar beast swiftly glided overhead before vanishing in obscurity. All individuals present during the disturbing encounter would ultimately succumb to atomic irradiation. The Blackbird was never to be seen in Chernobyl again.
Tales of prophetic beings warning of catastrophes are not limited to the Eastern European sector. Most infamous is the Silver Bridge Collapse of 1967 which claimed the lives of forty-six people. Numerous bystanders observed a macabre dark figure lurking atop the bridge preceding that fateful day. Another intriguing case took place in Germany. A bizarre hominid frightened miners who immediately abandoned their tunnel. Moments after withdrawing, the shaft caved in. Two Mothman photos were taken in New York City on September 11, 2001, prior to the World Trade Center attack. In 2011, spectators watched as an obscure flying cryptid landed atop the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Mere hours later, a magnitude 7 earthquake killed hundreds and triggered an explosive meltdown of the structure.
Chicago has seen an enormous surge in sightings over the past three years. Fifty-five credible firsthand testimonies occurred in 2017 alone. Theories regarding the creature’s enigmatic origins range widely. Some believe the being is an extraterrestrial while others speculate it’s a shapeshifter, inter-dimensional traveler or some type of unidentified species. Author and Fortean researcher, Lon Strickler, investigated the recent cryptozoological phenomenon. After conducting dozens of detailed interviews he theorized, “I think they’re flesh and blood beings that aren’t of this world.” Given current global situations, and considering Mothman appears to be an omen of imminent tragedy, one thing is certain: this unique character will continue to surface from the shadows.
Do you believe in the Blackbird of Chernobyl? Leave a comment sharing your thoughts!