“I wanted to show my power”: 35 years ago Matthias Rust landed near the Kremlin
2022-05-28T07:11:39.203Z
On May 28, 1987, a light-engine Cessna aircraft landed in the center of Moscow, flown by German amateur pilot Matthias Rust. He took off from the airport near Helsinki and illegally crossed the border with the USSR. The intruder was discovered by parts of the Soviet air defense, but the command to intercept the target was never received for unknown reasons. As a result, Rust landed on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge without hindrance. Subsequently, answering a question about the purpose of the flight, he stated: "I wanted to show my power." In the USSR, Rust was sentenced to four years in prison for hooliganism, but a year later he was amnestied. The true reasons for the action are still not known, but there are versions that it could be either a provocation by Western intelligence services or the desire of the pilot himself to impress the girl.
Source: russiart