Alexander Kazantsev

Alexander Kazantsev (1904-2002), a Soviet Russian science-fiction writer and engineer, pioneered UFOlogy in the USSR. In 1945, he proposed the Tunguska event of 1908 was caused by a nuclear-powered alien spacecraft explosion, sparking public debate on science and fantasy amid Cold War tensions. He co-founded Kosmopoisk in 1980 with Vadim Chernobrov and astronaut Georgy Beregovoy to investigate UFOs, anomalous zones, and cosmic mysteries, including expeditions to Tunguska, Vitim, and Ararat. Kazantsev authored stories like 'Explosion' linking Tunguska to Martian UFOs, blending fiction with pseudoscientific theories that influenced Soviet ufology. A Communist Party stalwart, he opposed literary innovations while promoting extraterrestrial hypotheses.