Fear gripped the residents of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, this Wednesday. when a bright target lit up the night, it was thought to be an airstrike, though shortly after, authorities reported it was a “NASA satellite” that had landed in that city.

“At around 10 p.m. (2 p.m. in Ecuador) on April 19, a bright flash of an aerial object was observed in the sky of Kievthe head of the city’s military administration, Sergiy Popko, said on Telegram.

“According to preliminary information, the phenomenon was the result of a NASA satellite falling to Earth,” he added.

A journalist from the AFP in Kiev he saw a spark in the sky of the capital, but this was not followed by any sound.

Popko specified that after the flash, the anti-aircraft alert was activated, although “the air defenses were not working”.

The Ukrainian Air Force also claimed shortly afterwards that the flash “related to the fall of a satellite/meteorite”.

However, the Air Force added that it still needed to clear up the episode.

Social networks were filled with post-glow speculation and memes, and the Air Force asked that the official decal not be used for humorous purposes.