Are There Official UFO Files to Check?

Introduction

For readers trying to verify UFO claims in North Macedonia, the central problem is not a lack of sightings but a lack of publicly accessible official files. Unlike countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States, which have released large collections of historical UFO records through national archives, North Macedonia has no known public UFO archive, no dedicated declassification programme for unidentified aerial reports, and no widely documented government repository that researchers can consult. As a result, most claims depend heavily on witness testimony, local media reports, or international UFO databases rather than official investigative records. [The National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukufo reportsThe National ArchivesUFO reportsThe Ministry of Defence has kept records of them since the 1960s, which we now hold. Most of these record…

That absence does not necessarily imply secrecy or missing evidence. It more likely reflects the country’s size, limited historical involvement in formal UFO investigations, and the structure of its aviation and defence institutions. The key question is therefore not whether hidden UFO files exist, but what official airspace records are available, who controls them, and what they can realistically tell us about unusual sightings.

What Public Defence Records Do and Do Not Show

North Macedonia maintains military and aviation institutions responsible for monitoring and protecting national airspace. The Army’s Air Brigade has surveillance and air-defence responsibilities, while civil aviation oversight is handled by the national Civil Aviation Agency. These bodies collect operational information about aircraft movements, airspace safety, and potential violations. Army of the Republic of North Macedonia [mil.mk]mil.mkArmy of the Republic of North MacedoniaAir Brigade – ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH…Provides air support and transport for Army units…

However, there is no publicly documented equivalent of the British Ministry of Defence UFO files, no dedicated UFO reporting office, and no publicly searchable database of unidentified aerial incidents. Researchers examining North Macedonian UFO claims therefore encounter a significant evidential gap: there are institutions that monitor the sky, but very little public documentation showing how unusual aerial observations have been recorded, classified, or investigated over time. [www.caa.gov.mk]caa.gov.mkAviation AgencyThe Civil Aviation Agency is the independent aviation authority and as such, it strives to achieve the highest aviation sa…

This distinction matters because an official airspace record is not the same thing as a UFO file. Air traffic logs, radar data, military surveillance records, flight plans, and incident reports may exist without ever being organised under a UFO category. Unless such records are released, outside investigators cannot determine whether a reported sighting corresponded to:

The result is that many North Macedonian UFO reports remain difficult to evaluate beyond eyewitness descriptions.

Why Researchers Talk About “Missing” UFO Files

The phrase “missing UFO files” can be misleading in the North Macedonian context. There is no well-documented archive known to have existed and then disappeared. Instead, the problem is closer to an archival absence.

In countries with extensive declassification programmes, researchers can compare witness reports against government records decades later. The United Kingdom, for example, transferred thousands of Ministry of Defence UFO files to the National Archives, creating a public paper trail that allows claims to be checked against official investigations. [The National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukufo reportsThe National ArchivesUFO reportsThe Ministry of Defence has kept records of them since the 1960s, which we now hold. Most of these record…

North Macedonia has produced no comparable public release. Consequently, when witnesses claim that unusual objects were seen over Skopje, Ohrid, or other regions, there is generally no accessible official file against which those reports can be tested. The “missing files” discussion therefore refers less to lost documents and more to the absence of publicly available records that would normally help verify or dismiss extraordinary claims.

This distinction is important because a lack of released files is not evidence that extraordinary incidents occurred. It simply limits independent verification.

NATO Air Policing After 2020

North Macedonia joined NATO in March 2020, creating a major change in how national airspace is protected. Because the country does not maintain a fighter force capable of conducting full air-policing missions, NATO allies provide air-policing coverage under Alliance arrangements. Greece assumed a leading role in safeguarding North Macedonian airspace, and the country was formally integrated into NATO’s Air Policing system in late 2021. [NATO]nato.intair policing protects north macedonias airspaceNATONATO Air policing protects North Macedonia's airspace10 Dec 2021 — A ceremony to mark the inclusion of the Republic of North Macedoni… [ac.nato.int]nato.intair policing protects north macedonias airspaceNATONATO Air policing protects North Macedonia's airspace10 Dec 2021 — A ceremony to mark the inclusion of the Republic of North Macedoni…

From a UFO-research perspective, this development has two consequences.

First, modern airspace surveillance is more integrated than before. NATO air-policing operations involve coordinated monitoring, identification procedures, and interception capabilities designed to detect and respond to unknown or potentially unsafe aircraft. NATO [DVIDS]dvidshub.netsafe skies nato air policing eastern adriatic and western balkans masterNATO Air Policing – Eastern Adriatic and Western Balkans…Dec 15, 2021 — In November 2021, the Greek Air Force assumed responsibility f…Published: November 2021

Second, any unusual aerial event today may generate records that are distributed across multiple military and alliance-level systems rather than being stored solely within North Macedonia. That does not mean those records are publicly available. NATO air-policing data are collected primarily for defence and operational purposes, not for public UFO research. [NATO]ac.nato.intNATO officially welcomes the Republic of North Macedonia…10 Dec 2021 — A ceremony held in Skopje, North Macedonia on December 9, marke…

For investigators, this creates an interesting paradox. The technical ability to identify aerial objects has likely improved, yet the public visibility of the resulting records remains limited.

Civil Aviation and Drone Reporting Context

A significant share of contemporary UFO reports worldwide turn out to involve drones, and North Macedonia has increasingly formalised drone regulation. The Civil Aviation Agency maintains specific rules governing unmanned aircraft operations, including registration requirements, operating limits, and restrictions near sensitive locations. [drone.gov.mk]drone.gov.mkUAS - Civil Aviation AgencyThe drone must be operated at a max distance of 250m horizontally and 120m vertically from the ground, always… [www.caa.gov.mk]caa.gov.mk2.9 Regulation on unmanned aircraft 115.24 ENGGazette of the Republic of North Macedonia", and…Read more…

Modern regulations require operators to follow defined airspace rules, while dedicated government resources explain where and how drones may be flown legally. [drone.gov.mk]drone.gov.mkFor drones which maximum take-off weight is less than 250 gr. such a certificate is not required.Read more…

This matters because many characteristics commonly associated with UFO reports—hovering lights, sudden directional changes, unusual night-time illumination, and silent operation—can also be produced by consumer or commercial drones. When a sighting occurs near urban areas such as Skopje, investigators must consider regulated drone activity before assuming a more exotic explanation. [drone.gov.mk]drone.gov.mkUAS - Civil Aviation AgencyThe drone must be operated at a max distance of 250m horizontally and 120m vertically from the ground, always…

The challenge is that public access to operational drone-reporting records is limited. While regulations are available, the underlying flight notifications, enforcement actions, or incident investigations are not generally compiled into a public UFO-style archive. As a result, many sightings cannot be conclusively matched to authorised drone operations by independent researchers.

What Can Actually Be Verified?

For North Macedonia, the strongest verification pathway is usually indirect rather than archival.

A reported sighting can sometimes be checked against:

What generally cannot be checked is a dedicated government UFO case file, because no substantial public archive of that type is known to exist. This leaves North Macedonia in a different position from countries where declassified records have become part of the historical record.

The practical consequence is that most North Macedonian UFO cases remain evidence-limited. Official institutions monitor the country’s airspace, and NATO now contributes significantly to that mission, but the records available to the public rarely extend far enough to confirm or refute extraordinary claims conclusively. [www.caa.gov.mk]caa.gov.mkAVIATION REGULATIONS CODE1.1 Aviation Act. ("Official Gazette of RNM", No. 14/24. 1.1A Aviation Act. ("Official Gazette of RM", No. 14/06… [NATO]shape.nato.intint Video: NATO Air Policingnato.intVideo: NATO Air Policing - Slovenia and Western BalkansIn November 2021, the Greek Air Force assumed responsibility for safeguard…Published: November 2021 [ac.nato.int]ac.nato.intNATO officially welcomes the Republic of North Macedonia…10 Dec 2021 — A ceremony held in Skopje, North Macedonia on December 9, marke…

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Further Reading

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Endnotes

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