Local authorities: Light flash in sky over Kyiv due to NASA satellite crash

A bright flash of light seen in the sky over Kyiv late on April 19 resulted from a NASA space satellite crashing to Earth, according to preliminary data by Kyiv City Military Administration head Serhii Popko.

An air raid alert was turned on in the city to avoid victims from the spacecraft debris falling to the ground, Popko said. Kyiv air defense wasn't working on the object, he clarified.

Ukraine's Air Force said that the light flash could be linked to the fall of a satellite or meteorite, adding that the information is to be clarified.

Earlier, Kyiv Oblast Military Administration said that the air defense had detected a target over the region and was "ready" to shoot it down if needed.

Ukraine's Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak wrote on Telegram that the flash was seen because of the air defense work but soon deleted the post.

The flash appeared over the Ukrainian capital at about 10 p.m. local time. Unofficial Telegram channels posted several videos showing how it looked in the sky.

On April 18, the Space media outlet reported that dead NASA's RHESSI satellite, which had studied the Sun from 2002 to 2018, would fall to Earth in the next several days.

According to U.S. military estimates, the satellite was supposed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere around 9:30 p.m. EDT on April 19 (plus or minus 16 hours).