DISCLOSURE / FILEKaraganda Airport Cell Phone UAP Digitally Altered 2022
DOW-UAP-PR072, "ADMINISTRATIVE REVISION: IIR 1777 J0032 22 Kazakhstan - UAP in the vicinity of Karaganda International Airport"
A 17-second classified-network video, assessed by AARO as likely shot on a commercial cell phone near Karaganda International Airport, Kazakhstan in March 2022, showing a luminous aerial phenomenon — flagged as digitally altered before upload and released with zero analytical judgment attached.
Brief
Eight U.S. House members requested 51 potentially UAP-related records on March 6, 2026; AARO identified this video among responsive materials held on a classified network, noting that many items in the collection lack a substantiated chain-of-custody. The footage, 17 seconds long, captures a luminous phenomenon with trails of diminishing brightness extending from its center near Karaganda International Airport, with the camera panning and zooming during the observation window. AARO assesses the source device was likely a commercially available cellular phone's rear-facing camera; the video was digitally altered by an undisclosed party before a user uploaded it in April 2023 — roughly 13 months after the incident. AARO's release statement explicitly disclaims any analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination about the event's validity or significance.
Metadata
- Agency
- Department of War
- Release
- 5/22/26
- Incident
- 2022
- Location
- Kazakhstan
- Type
- VIDEO • .mp4
- Length
- 0:17
- Programs
- AARO
- Tags
- luminous phenomenon, trailing brightness, Kazakhstan, Karaganda International Airport, 2022, IIR 1777 J0032 22, cellular footage, digitally altered, civilian airspace
Key points
- AARO assesses the video was likely recorded on a commercially available cellular device's rear-facing camera in March 2022 near Karaganda International Airport, Kazakhstan.
- The video was digitally altered prior to its upload to a classified network in April 2023 — more than a year after the incident date.
- AARO states the collection of 51 requested records includes materials that 'lack a substantiated chain-of-custody,' directly undermining provenance confidence across the tranche.
- The 17-second clip shows a luminous phenomenon with trails of diminishing brightness extending from its center; the camera pans left and right and zooms in during the observation window.
- The record's title carries the prefix 'ADMINISTRATIVE REVISION,' indicating the IIR designation was modified or reclassified at some point before reaching the classified network.
- Eight U.S. House members initiated the records request on March 6, 2026 — the legislative trigger for AARO's identification of these classified-network materials.
- AARO's accompanying description is explicitly disclaimed: it is 'provided for informational purposes only' and should not be read as reflecting any analytical or investigative position.
Most interesting
- The gap between incident (March 2022) and classified-network upload (April 2023) is approximately 13 months, during which an undisclosed party digitally altered the video — yet AARO presents it 'as received,' meaning the altered version is the version of record.
- Karaganda International Airport (IATA: KGF) is a civilian hub in central Kazakhstan; a luminous aerial phenomenon in its vicinity places the event in proximity to commercial airspace and radar infrastructure that AARO does not mention consulting.
- The IIR designation (Intelligence Information Report) in the file title suggests the record was at some point handled within a formal military or intelligence reporting chain, despite AARO's agnostic framing.
- This record was surfaced through a legislative demand rather than proactive AARO disclosure — consistent with other materials in the May 2026 Release 02 tranche.
- AARO's chain-of-custody caveat is applied to the collection broadly, not just this file, raising questions about how many of the 51 requested records share the same provenance gap.