Igor Volke

The ufologist who made the extraterrestrial and UFO studies popular in Estonia.

Name	Igor Volke
Age	74
Born	January 19, 1950
Died	November 14, 2024
Famous for	Being the founder of AKRAK, the Estonian UFO research organization

“From an early age, I was fond of stories I heard at home about the white lady of Haapsalu or the Ungern Sternbergs luring ships to the shoals or folkloric tales from the Second World War. It was all extravagant, out of the ordinary, and ultimately a mystery.”

These were the words of Igor Volke in an interview before his passing. He expressed that he had always gravitated towards the unexplainable in hopes of understanding it. He later used this passion for understanding anomalies to establish his name in Estonian ufology.

His Early Life and Entry to UFO Studies

Igor Volke was born in Jõgeva into a militia family. His mother was a housewife, while his father was the head of Nõmme Criminal Investigation Department, whom he claimed to have inherited his inspective judgment from. He also credited his ability to thoroughly investigate and notice minute details, which later proved helpful in his research, to his family’s influence.

Igor graduated from Tallinn Polytechnic Institute as an industrial planner but later pursued a rescue worker profession. He spent most of his professional life as a firefighter and fire safety consultant, and in 2000 worked at the National Library as a fire and work safety specialist.

While Igor was always curious about the world’s mysteries, his fascination with environmental anomalies, particularly the UFO phenomena, only started during the thaw period.

His UFO research started independently. It meant his methodology was solely up to him. What he chose to study or not depended on whether he had the slightest suspicion that the source wasn’t reliable.

By his passing, Igor has essentially become synonymous with Estonian ufology, being the country’s head of the UFO community.

His Findings About UFOs

Igor claimed Estonia experienced five to six UFO sightings per year on average. However, if the report that only 10% of sightings are accounted for is accurate, this would result in Estonia having 50-60 possible cases yearly.

Igor and his community of UFO researchers became the UFO reports center in Estonia. While this may not have led him to see an actual alien, it gave Igor an understanding of UFOs like no other.

He categorized these phenomena into four main categories, which would aid in his investigations and help identify whether the reported objects could genuinely be considered extraterrestrial. These were his categorizations:

• Environmental light and energy phenomena
• Flying objects
• Environmental-physical complexes 
• Psychic and psychosomatic phenomena

Igor hadn’t tried formulating an explanation for why there had been a surge of UFO reports. However, he believed that there were secret areas on Earth hosting these entities. Igor had also thought that these UFO sightings were a call for reflection, that UFOs were teaching people how to live, to be wiser, to love the environment and each other.

His Exposure to Extraterrestrial

Throughout his research, Igor collected and analyzed multiple reports of UFO experiences. When asked whether he’s had his sightings, he shared three direct encounters in three separate years:

• In 1972, near the Koiva River
• In 1979, near Viljandi
• In 1982, near Märjamaa

These sightings were observations of flying objects. When he further investigated them, Igor detected anomalies in their flight, such that they were neither military nor known flying objects. It led him to conclude that these sightings must’ve been extraterrestrial encounters.

His Key Contributions to the UFO Community

Igor Volke’s independent research led him to meet Eduard Nurja, the then-father of Estonian ufology and esotericism, in 1970.

Eduard had been coincidentally active in the fire brigade alongside Igor, which allowed them to talk about the UFO phenomenon. The fire brigade unit on Gogol, now Raua Street, soon became a ufology center, as many of his colleagues were also interested.

Anomaalsete Keskkonnanähtuste Registreerimise ja Analüüsi Komisjon

In 1985, Igor Volke became one of the founders of Anomaalsete Keskkonnanähtuste Registreerimise ja Analüüsi Komisjon, or the Commission for the Registration and Analysis of Anomalous Environmental Phenomena/AKRAK.

The commission was made up of 25-30 people, who collected reports of environmental phenomena, specifically UFO reports in Estonia.

The 1990s was when UFO reports peaked. Igor mentioned that there would be 10-12 reports a year, 5-6 of which would pique the group’s interest so much that they would go to the scene.

The group practiced a systematic process in their research. During the days when they reported to the scene, they would bring experts and equipment along to take soil and tissue samples. They also allegedly used hypnosis to unlock blocked memories from witnesses, which provided them with a more comprehensive report.

Throughout its operations, AKRAK has examined thousands of images of spheres, dots, and fireworks that could be evidence of extraterrestrial phenomena. The group became inactive and was replaced by the Estonian UFO Network (EUFON) 15 years later.

His Publications About UFOs

Aside from founding AKRAK, Igor also had four published materials documenting the gathered reports and enriching Estonian folklore.

His Impact on Ufology

Igor Volke was perceptive about his research. He examined the significance of the UFO phenomenon in life, seeking to make it a meaningful event. His work remains a rich gift for future generations, a cultural memory that has been preserved.

To explore more about Igor Volke’s legacy and dive deeper into the world of UFO research, visit UFO Connect.