Association “Ecology of the Unknown” (AEU) arose in the early 90s of the XX century as an informal union, which has as its main goal the formation of an understanding of the importance and relevance of studying various extraordinary in society, including abnormal phenomena and the implementation of the results in the life of the country and state.

 

The legal interests of the Association were represented by a small enterprise, and then the “Ecology of the Unknown” Limited Liability Company.

 

The forerunner of the "Ecology of the Unknown" Association was the research group of the associate professor of the Moscow Aviation Institute, Felix Yurievich Ziegel. By the mid-70s, he managed to create a team of serious, thoughtful enthusiasts, specialists, scientists.

 

On his initiative, in 1983 a section began to work on the study of anomalous phenomena within the “Inversor” club under the editorship of the journal “Technika-molodezhi”. Later, in 1985, associates of F. Yu. Zigel, A. S. Kuzovkin and A. E. Semyonov, organized a similar work with the editors of the magazine “Around the World” at a seminar called “Ecology of the Unknown”.

 

The idea of creating the Association and its printed organ belongs to TASS international journalist S. F. Bulantsev. The theoretical basis of the work, formed by 1989, was the concept of thin-ecological energy-information interactions, developed by the scientific school of the outstanding Russian scientist, doctor of medical sciences, professor, academician Vlail Petrovich Kaznacheev.

 

From 1989 to 1998, together with ITAR-TASS, AEU published the scientific and information bulletin “Anomaly”. The bulletin was issued in electronic form from 1999 to 2005. “Anomalies” were published without ITAR-TASS from 2007 to 2016.

 

Two years after the death of F. Yu. Zigel, at the initiative of S. F. Bulantsev, A. E. Semyonov and Doctor of Technical Sciences R. G. Varlamov, AEU began to hold a thematic conference on the development of its scientific heritage. The first international scientific and public conference “Ziegel Readings”, that had been organized by AEU, was held in the fall of 1990. Since then, the Readings are held twice a year and are timed to March 20 and November 20 - the dates of birth and death of F. Yu. Ziegel. The venue for the Readings is the Central Russian House of Knowledge, the “Moskvich” Cultural Center, the “Meridian” Center for Culture and Art.

 

Initially, the Readings united researchers and scientists, most of whom were engaged in the study of the so-called abnormal phenomena, including the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects. Over the years, the scope of the issues discussed at the Readings has expanded significantly. Nowadays, the conference has actually become a unique platform in Russia for discussing new hypotheses and projects concerning breakthrough scientific discoveries, bold technical projects, extraordinary philosophical ideas, mysterious expeditionary finds, etc. The audience of the Readings is about 300 participants, including researchers and enthusiasts studying disputed problems of natural sciences, scientists from candidates of sciences to academicians, specialists in many fields of knowledge, representatives of public, departmental and state structures, foreign researchers, senior army officials and cosmonauts, public figures and journalists.

 

Over the three decades of the Readings, more than 1,500 reports have been heard; their total audience has exceeded 25,000 participants. Researchers and scientists from more than 70 cities, representatives of almost two dozen countries, including Bulgaria, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, the USA, Sweden, South Korea, and Japan made speeches from the rostrum of the conference.

 

The main goal of the Ziegel Readings is to demonstrate the relevance and importance of taking into account and using in the scientific, technical and state spheres of life of society and civilization as a whole the factor of still unknown phenomena and processes. In 2013, the conference received the second, official name, "Natural Science and Geopolitics".

 

Over the years of AEU's work, a significant amount of work has been performed, including a set of state research projects on the topic “Nit” (development of the well-known research work “Setka”). Financial support was provided for one of the seasons of unique studies of distant interactions at the Novosibirsk Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine SB RAMS in the polar city of Dikson. Dozens of expeditions were organized and conducted in the central regions of the country. In 1993, at the interstate level, active preparations were underway for expeditionary exploration in the Giza region (Egypt) under the Golden Ball project. At the request of the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation, in 2005-2008 consultations were held and the possibility of a joint study of UFOs with official representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran was discussed. Iranian experts spoke twice at the Siegel Readings. According to the agreements with the administration of the Balashikha city near Moscow, in 1995-2006 Summer ecological and ethnographic camps for children have been successfully held. For almost three years, the “Solaris” Scientific Medical and Health Center has been operating with a positive result. The Association’s specialists took part in many seminars, meetings, round tables, conferences, and congresses.

 

There are regular reports of the management and specialists of AEU on radio (VGTRK, Mayak, Russian Radio, etc.) and on television (Channel 1, Russia 1, Russia 2, TVC, NTV, Ren-TV, TV-3, Channel 5, Zvezda, OTR, MTRK Mir, Astro-TV, NTDtv, KP TV, Mexican TV channel “The Third Millennium”, etc.).

 

Since 2013, thematic briefings organized by AEU (working title “Living Room of Miracles”) and press conferences with the participation of its partners in the Central House of Journalists have been held.

 

The activities of the Association received substantial development after establishing close working relations with the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, headed by the President, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Colonel General L. G. Ivashov (2013). A number of representatives of the Association and its partners became members of this Academy and its Presidium.

 

Special importance for the Association was the visit of the well-known public figure from the USA, honorary Dr. Carol Sue Rosin, that was organized by association’s leadership in Russia. At one time, she was the personal secretary of Werner von Braun, also she was one of the initiators of the “Soyuz-Apollon” program, and devoted many years to promoting initiatives for the peaceful use of outer space. In particular, she was the organizer of the Coalition "For Peace and Emergencies in the Name of the Earth" and the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space. Dr. Rosin brought a new version of the Treaty on the Non-placement of Weapons in Outer Space.

 

Carol Rosin was received at the Department of Nonproliferation and Arms Control to discuss a public initiative to ban the placement of weapons in outer space. The program of her visit also included a speech at the jubilee 50th scientific and public conference of the AEU “Ziegel Readings”, a meeting of the Presidium of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems and the signing of the Protocol on joint actions with this Academy, a press conference at MIA “Russia Today”, an interview with several print Media, filming for several television channels, etc. Dr. Rosin was awarded the certificate of the International expert of the Association "Ecology of the Unknown".

 

The Association has established and maintains contacts with many organizations and groups that study similar problems, and is in contact with enthusiasts, inventors, public figures, representatives of state and international structures, and specialists in many fields of knowledge.

 

At the end of 2019, an important event for the Association took place. Having accumulated 30 years of experience as an informal organization, it officially registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation as the Association “Ecology of the Unknown”, an association of researchers of the unknown phenomena of nature, cosmos and human abilities. The President of the new Association "Ecology of the Unknown"  is Alexander Evgenievich Semyonov, and the General Director is Timofey Antonovich Egorov.