Germany has recorded a wave of reports about unidentified flying objects, which observers link to the publication of secret Pentagon archives in the United States. Euronews carried comments on the matter from Hansjurgen Kohler, director of the Central Research Network of Unusual Aerial Phenomena, known as CENAP.
By August 2026, the German research center had processed about 14,000 such reports. The renewed surge in public interest is believed to stem from the release of classified archives from the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters.
Daily reports and explanations
Kohler said the center receives three to six reports every day, calling it, without exaggeration, the busiest UFO reporting service in the German-speaking world.
He said almost all cases have a simple scientific explanation. Kohler said observers most often mistake airplanes, helicopters, rocket stages, satellites and astronomical objects, as well as balloons and laser light beams from various events, for UFOs. He also said famous American military footage, such as the Gimbal video, can be explained by an optical illusion caused by differences in speed and glitches in fighter jet onboard systems, adding that he believes the footage actually shows a balloon.
Not ruling out life elsewhere
Kohler said he does not deny the possible existence of life elsewhere in the universe but remains highly skeptical of claims that aliens have visited Earth. He attributed the small percentage of unresolved incidents strictly to a lack of precise data, such as timing, coordinates or quality footage, needed for full analysis.
Earlier in August, it was reported that the U.S. Department of Defense had released a fifth batch of classified UFO documents.
