The Molyobka Anomalous Zone (Молёбский треугольник, 'Molyobka Triangle'), located along the Sylva River in Kishert District, Perm Krai in the western Urals of Russia, is one of the most heavily-investigated and consistently-active paranormal landscapes in the Russian Federation. Local Mansi and Russian Old Believer traditions describe a specific wedge of land east of the village of Molyobka as 'the place where the sky is wrong' — subject to persistent compass deviations, unexplained lights, electromagnetic anomalies, and frequent disappearances. The zone was brought to national attention in 1983 by geologist Emil Bachurin, who conducted the first formal scientific survey after reports from local Mansi elders.
Bachurin's surveys catalogued a consistent pattern: severe compass deviations in specific sub-zones; unusual 'warm' spots in the winter snow; anomalous infrared signatures visible in aerial photographs; and a concentration of paranormal reports including glowing orbs, triangular craft, 'humanoid figures in black' observed standing in clearings, brief periods of missing time, and unaccountable illnesses among visitors. Following Bachurin's publications, Molyobka became the most-visited paranormal research destination in the Russian Federation, drawing expeditions from the Permian Research Institute, Moscow State University, the Kosmopoisk organization (Russia's largest UFO-research group), and international investigators from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Anomalies documented by Kosmopoisk's multiple expeditions between 1989 and 2005 include photographically-captured luminous objects, audio recordings of unexplained voices speaking in Old Russian, and a 1996 incident in which three Kosmopoisk researchers reported the simultaneous failure of all their electronic equipment for nineteen minutes. Moscow's State Hydrometeorological Committee has registered the area as 'subject to atmospheric anomalies'; the Perm Krai tourism ministry has formally recognized the zone as a paranormal cultural resource. The Molyobka M-Zone functions as Russia's analog to the American Skinwalker Ranch — a specific geographical region in which paranormal phenomena are reported with greater density and variety than in any surrounding area.