Viktor Stepanovich Grebennikov (; 23April 19272001) was a self-proclaimed

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

and

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

researcher best known for his claim to have invented a

levitation Levitation, Levitate, or Levitating may refer to: Concepts *Levitation (illusion), an illusion where a magician appears to levitate a person or object *Levitation (paranormal), the claimed paranormal phenomenon of levitation, occurring without an ...

platform which operated by attaching dead

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

body parts to the underside. Grebennikov wrote detailed accounts of his experiences flying over the Russian countryside using his levitation device. These flying experiences as well as his reported observations of other paranormal phenomena, usually involving insect nests or parts, appear in his self-published book ''My World'' (''Moi Mir''.

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

, Russia: Sovetskaya Sibir, 1997).

Early life

Viktor Grebennikov was born in

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

. His mother was a

noblewoman A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...

, his father was a mechanic.

Activity

Krasnoobsk Krasnoobsk () is an urban locality (a work settlement) in Novosibirsky District of Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, located southeast of Novosibirsk's Kirovsky City District. Krasnoobsk is a Science town (Naukograd Naukograd ( rus, наукогра ...

, Grebennikov worked as a junior researcher at the Research Institute of Soil Management and Chemicalization of Agriculture. In 1976, he founded the Museum of

Agroecology Agroecology is an academic discipline that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Bringing ecological principles to bear can suggest new management approaches in agroecosystems. The term can refer to a science, ...

and

Environmental Protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

. Although once popular with readers who dreamed of human

unpowered flight Unpowered flight is the ability to stay airborne for a period of time without using any power source. There are several types of unpowered flight. Some have been exploited by nature, others by humankind, and some by both. Unpowered aircraft are a ...

, Grebennikov's flight and other paranormal claims were promptly rejected by

skeptics Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

and scientists outside of the paranormal community as his reports were devoid of conclusive proof or public demonstration. He claimed that his camera shutter was jammed during the flights due to a time-warping force-field generated by the secret "geometric" power of

chitin Chitin (carbon, C8hydrogen, H13oxygen, O5nitrogen, N)n ( ) is a long-chain polymer of N-Acetylglucosamine, ''N''-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose. Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cell ...

. Translation posted on KeelyNet.com. He was granted a Russian patent in 1995 on a device containing

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...

cells (dry

honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of Triangular prismatic honeycomb#Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, hexagonal prismatic cells built from beeswax by honey bees in their beehive, nests to contain their brood (eggs, larvae, and pupae) and stores of honey and pol ...

) that is claimed to enhance the effectiveness of

therapeutic drugs Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between ...

in a patient.
Copy
with abstract in English at RexResearch.com. Grebennikov died in

in 2001. The paranormal author Brian Snellgrove cites some of Grebennikov's ''My World'' claims in his books.

References

External links

* *
Grebennikov Viktor Stepanovich. Novosibirsk Local History Portal. Гребенников Виктор Степанович. Новосибирский краеведческий портал.
New Age writers Russian entomologists 1927 births Scientists from Simferopol 2001 deaths Paranormal investigators Levitation Soviet entomologists Soviet painters 20th-century Russian painters Soviet writers 20th-century Russian writers Entomological artists {{Russia-scientist-stub