The Kumburgaz UFO Case: Debunkers, Discovery, and the Truth in Focus
Written by UAP Files - Jimmy
In UFOlogy, few cases have garnered as much attention—and controversy—as the Kumburgaz UFO, filmed between 2007 and 2009 in Kumburgaz, Turkey, by Yalçin Yalman. Captured over multiple nights, this footage has been hailed by many as among the greatest UFO evidence ever recorded. It even received independent validation from experts, including Prof. Dr. Zeki Eker, director of the Turkish National Observatory of Science and Technology, who confirmed that the object was:
“not a model, not computer-generated, and illuminated by moonlight.”
But like all great UFO cases, it has also faced significant pushback, particularly from online skeptics and debunkers. Over the years, theories ranged from cruise ships to camera artefacts to outright hoaxes. Enter Peter Osborne, a photo and video restoration expert whose recent enhancements to the footage have breathed new life into these debate. But let’s rewind a bit to how we got here.
Finding Yalçin Yalman
For over a decade, Yalçin Yalman, the man behind the original footage, had all but disappeared from public view. Earlier this year, I tracked him down with the help of interpreter Onur Baskin and conducted his first-ever long-form interview in English. Yalçin shared a wealth of details about his experiences, including his camera setup, the telepathic connection he felt with the craft, and even predictions for the future.
This interview reignited interest in the case, and the online UFO community was buzzing once again. It also caught the attention of skeptics like Mick West and his Metabunk forum, who reignited their claims of a "debunked" case. Among their favorite theories was a video from a YouTuber known as The Sneezing Monkey, claiming the footage showed a cruise ship.
Debunking the Debunk
Skepticism is healthy, but the "cruise ship" theory left much to be desired. Determined to set the record straight, I joined Metabunk to examine their claims firsthand. What I found was a mix of speculation and flawed analysis that didn’t hold up to scrutiny.
In my video response, I addressed every major claim, from the cruise ship hypothesis to arguments about lens distortion and environmental misidentification. Most notably, neither Mick West nor the Sneezing Monkey acknowledged the independent analysis by Turkish experts, which confirmed the footage’s authenticity as a real, physical object. Nor corroborating comments from Astronomy lecturer Prof. Dr. Adnan Öktem, University Dept. of physics lecturer Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin, Prof. Dr. Kerem Doksat, as well as many other less credentialed analysers (like me).
You can watch my breakdown UAP Files Debunks the Debunk, where I systematically debunked their arguments, leaving little doubt that the Kumburgaz UFO case is far from the open-and-shut hoax they suggested.
Peter Osborne & Truth in Focus
With renewed interest in the case, I turned to my go-to video expert, Peter Osborne, to enhance and analyse the footage. Peter, known for his meticulous restoration work on cases like the Medellín, Colombia 2020 UFO Cube and the Houston Lights MUFON Case from 2015, took the footage frame by frame, cleaning up noise, enhancing clarity, and revealing new details.
Peter’s enhancements brought the Kumburgaz UFO into sharper focus, making the object’s structure—and even the alleged humanoid pilots in the "cockpit"—more discernible. Using advanced software and his self-taught expertise, Peter provided a new perspective on this iconic footage.
Truth in Focus: Peter Osborne’s New YouTube Channel
After months of collaboration, it’s my pleasure to announce that Peter Osborne has launched his own YouTube channel, Truth in Focus, where he will showcase his incredible work. Peter’s channel promises a treasure trove of meticulously restored UFO footage.
As Peter himself puts it, this is more than just a hobby—it’s a mission to bring clarity to some of the most hotly debated UFO cases of our time. And yes, I may have twisted his arm a bit (or perhaps wrestled him into it with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu hold), but the result is worth it.
Full Circle: Back to the UAP Files
We recently had Peter Osborne on the UAP Files Podcast to discuss his work on the Kumburgaz UFO case in detail. In this episode, we review the enhanced footage, talk about the process behind the restoration, and dive deep into the evidence as well as listening to Peter’s take on what he believes given the time he’s now spent with that footage. If you’re a fan of UFO investigations, this is not one to miss.
🔗 Listen to the full podcast interview with Peter Osborne here: