Brasília, Brazil – On August 14, 2025, multiple luminous, flashing objects were observed moving across the sky above Brazil's National Congress and the Esplanade of Ministries in Brasília. Videos of the objects, which appeared to change direction erratically, were widely shared on social media.
The Federal Police (PF) of Brazil has launched an investigation into the footage. The inquiry aims to determine the nature and origin of the phenomena, and to assess whether authorities were using drones in the area at the time of the sightings. The PF's analysis methodologies are also under scrutiny.
Explanations for the observed lights have been offered by experts. Rony Vernet, an electronics engineer and specialist in Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), who first received and published the video, suggested that the objects might have been flocks of birds reflecting city lights. However, he noted that such occurrences are rare in Brazil compared to the Northern Hemisphere.
Conversely, Thiago Ticchetti, President of the Brazilian Commission of Ufologists (CBU), stated that in the absence of definitive conclusions, the objects remain classified as UFOs. He also proposed that the objects could have been drones used by authorities for surveillance, particularly in anticipation of the large-scale "Marcha das Margaridas" demonstration. This biennial event, scheduled for August 15 and 16, 2025, was expected to draw over 100,000 rural women workers to Brasília.
The "Marcha das Margaridas" is a significant national demonstration advocating for the rights of rural women, honoring Margarida Maria Alves, a rural worker and union leader assassinated in 1983. The timing of the reported sightings, coinciding with the lead-up to this major demonstration, has fueled speculation about aerial surveillance.
Brazil has a history of official engagement with UAP phenomena. The National Archive of Brazil holds a vast collection of UAP-related documents, including reports, drawings, audio, video, and photographs documenting hundreds of incidents recorded by the Brazilian military between 1952 and 2016. The Brazilian Air Force previously operated an Unidentified Aerial Object Investigation System (SIOANI) established in 1969. Brazil's historical openness in discussing UAP phenomena, in contrast to more secretive approaches elsewhere, makes it a focal point for enthusiasts and researchers.
Past incidents, such as the 1977 Colares UFO flap and the 1996 Varginha incident, highlight Brazil's long-standing engagement with unexplained aerial phenomena. The current Federal Police investigation into the recent sightings over a prominent governmental site underscores the persistent global interest in anomalous aerial phenomena and the rigorous examination such events now undergo.