How a German pilot “took down” the top of the Soviet Army. Matthias Rust Red Square Who sat down on Red Square 1987


On August 3, 1988, an unusual prisoner was released early from a Soviet prison. It was Germanic amateur pilot Matthias Rust, who a year earlier became famous throughout the world for landed the plane on Red Square. Then this event caused a lot of noise: how did a 19-year-old guy manage to discredit the Soviet air defense system, why did he need to commit this crazy act, and what punishment did the brave man suffer?



One day, 18-year-old Matthias Rust was watching TV and the news was talking about how negotiations between the American and Soviet governments in Reykjavik had reached a dead end. The young man decided that he should help the USSR and the West improve relations. At least, this is how he explained his motives at trial: “I thought I could use the plane to build an imaginary bridge between the West and the East, to show how many people in Europe want to improve relations with the USSR.”



At that time, Matthias Rust had the right to fly the plane, and he had already spent about 50 hours in the air. On May 13, 1987, he informed his parents that he intended to travel by plane to Northern Europe in order to fly the required number of hours to obtain his professional pilot's license. On May 25, Mathias arrived in Helsinki, and on May 28 he told dispatchers that he was heading to Stockholm. But Rust was moving in the wrong direction, and later disappeared from radar altogether.



A search and rescue operation immediately began in the area of ​​the Finnish coast. A large oil slick was noticed on the surface of the sea, and it was then assumed that the plane had crashed. While they were searching for the pilot at sea, he crossed the Soviet border over Estonia. Of course, the radars immediately detected him, and soon a MiG fighter was next to him. He accompanied him for some time, but no order for further action was received, and the MiG soon disappeared.



The fact is that in 1984, the Soviet military shot down a South Korean passenger plane that violated USSR airspace. As a result, people died, and after that it was prohibited to shoot at civilian and sports aircraft. When Matias was flying in the Pskov area, the local air regiment was conducting training flights. Some planes were taking off, others were landing. At 15:00, all pilots were supposed to change code at the same time, but due to inexperience, many did not do this. Due to the confusion that arose, all aircraft were assigned the “me-us” attribute, including Rust’s plane, which was among them. When he flew over Torzhok, rescue work was carried out there after a plane crash, and Rust’s plane was mistaken for a Soviet search helicopter.



On the evening of May 28, a German Cessna plane landed on the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge and drove to St. Basil's Cathedral. The pilot climbed out of the cockpit and began signing autographs to surprised passers-by and tourists. He was arrested a few minutes later. The next morning, all the newspapers reported a sensation: “The country is in shock! The German sports pilot dishonored the huge defense arsenal of the USSR on Border Guard Day.”



There were several versions about the reasons for Mathias’s action: he was trying to win a bet, he wanted to impress his girlfriend, he was carrying out an assignment from foreign intelligence services, he made a spectacular marketing move in support of his father’s business - he was selling Cessna airplanes in Western Europe, and the news that this - the only aircraft that defeated the Soviet air defense system could help revive demand.



Matthias Rust was arrested and tried for hooliganism and illegal border crossing. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison, but a year later he was released early. The head of the air defense troops, the minister of defense and about 300 officers lost their positions. And people began to call Red Square “Sheremetyevo-3” and write jokes on this topic.



Upon returning home, Rust was deprived of his piloting rights as a “mentally unbalanced” person. Soon he ended up behind bars again: while working as a nurse in a hospital, he rushed with a knife at a nurse who refused his advances. In 2001, he was tried again - this time for stealing a pullover. Apparently, he really couldn’t be called mentally stable.



Rust’s “peace mission” is still questioned: there are too many inconsistencies and large-scale consequences: after that, mass purges were carried out in the Soviet army - as if they were waiting for the right occasion. Therefore, many call Rust’s flight a carefully planned provocation, of which there were many during that period:

On the morning of May 28, 1987, at Maalme airport, near Helsinki, Matthias Rust, a German citizen born in 1968, prepared his Cessna-172R monoplane for departure, on which he had flown in from Hamburg the day before. In the flight documents, the final destination of the route was Stockholm.

At 13.10, having received permission, Mathias took off and headed along the planned route. After 20 minutes of flight, Rust reported to the dispatcher that there was order on board and said goodbye. After which, turning off the on-board radio, the plane turned sharply towards the Gulf of Finland and began descending to an altitude of 80-100 m. This maneuver was supposed to ensure a reliable exit of the plane from the control radar surveillance zone and hide the true flight route. At this altitude, Mathias headed to the calculated point of the Gulf of Finland near the Helsinki-Moscow air route. Having turned the plane towards the first landmark on the coast of the Soviet Union (the Kohtla-Jarve oil shale plant with its smoke, which is visible 100 kilometers away) and checking the radio compass readings with the calculated ones, Mathias set off on the “combat course”. The weather on this part of the flight was favorable: cloudiness - stratocumulus, 4-5 points; wind - northwest, 5-10 meters per second; visibility - at least 15-20 kilometers.

2 Lox. Detection

At 14.10, an unidentified light aircraft was discovered over the territorial waters of the Soviet Union by the radar company on duty (radar P-15) near the Estonian village of Loksa, which was approaching the coastline. According to the instructions, the air object was assigned another number and the sign “flight violation”, since at that time there were no applications for small aircraft flights in this area. The plane's course practically coincided with the direction of the busy Helsinki-Moscow air route, where several aircraft were in the upper echelons of the airspace.

The crew of the command post of the 14th Air Defense Division began to clarify and analyze the air situation. A decision was made: until the situation is fully clarified, information should not be released “upstream.” At that moment there were at least 10 light aircraft of various departmental affiliations over the territory of Estonia. None of them were equipped with a state identification system. Reinforcement changes were called to the command posts of units and duty units of the 14th Division.

For 19 minutes, the crew unsuccessfully tried to understand the emerging air situation, and meanwhile Rust’s plane was approaching Lake Peipus. At 14.27, the commander of the 656th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Tapa), having assessed the situation, made his decision to lift into the air the duty pair of MiG-23 fighters with the task of one of them to block the border, the other to visually identify the violator of the flight regime. And here it took time to coordinate with air traffic controllers the admission of the fighter to the search area, since the actions of the air defense forces on duty were carried out in the air route area.

At 14.28 it finally becomes clear that there are no civil small aircraft in the area. At 14.29, the operational duty officer of the command post of the 14th air defense division made a decision to assign the “combat number” 8255 to the intruder, to issue information “to the top” and to declare readiness No. 1.

Thus, at the command post of the 6th Air Defense Army, information about target 8255 appeared. The commander of the 6th Air Defense Army, General German Kromin, transferred all formations and units of the 54th to air defense readiness number 1. The commanders of three anti-aircraft missile divisions of the 204th air defense brigade (Kerstovo settlement), located on the Rust flight route, reported that the target was being observed and were ready to launch missiles.

3 Change of route. Station Dno

At 14.30 along the Cessna-172R flight route, the weather sharply deteriorated. The wind increased, the lower edge of continuous cloudiness dropped to 70-100 meters, visibility dropped to 600-700 meters, and it began to drizzle in places. Mathias decided to descend under the lower edge of the clouds and change course to the area of ​​​​an alternate landmark: the railway junction of st. Bottom. Visibility was better in this direction.

During this maneuver, at 14.30 (just a minute after receiving the first data about the target) at the command post of the 6th Air Defense Army, the target was lost.

The loss of radar contact with Rust's plane occurred at the junction of the boundaries of responsibility of two air defense formations - the 14th Air Defense Division and the 54th Air Defense Division, where the coherence of command post crews plays an important, if not decisive, role. At 14.31, the target again appeared on the radar screens of one of the radar companies, but already 20 km west of the previous route of target 8255 at an extremely low altitude. This made it difficult for her to observe steadily. They decided not to give out information on it, so as not to interfere with the already complex situation. Moreover, the target left the detection zone of the radar company and entered the area of ​​​​responsibility of the neighboring formation.

Ten minutes earlier, at 14.21, in the area of ​​Lake Peipus, a mark with the direction of movement appeared on the screens of duty radars: Gdov-Malaya Vishera. At 14.24 information on this target began to be given “up.” From 14.25 the mark began to become unstable, and at 14.28 the aircraft escort was stopped. At 2:31 p.m., the same unit detects a target with the same parameters, but is issued “upward,” as expected, with a different number.

At 15.00, by the decision of the commander of the 6th Air Defense Army, a pair of fighters on duty was scrambled from the Gromovo airfield with the task of establishing the type and nationality of target 8255. The weather along the target’s flight route was not favorable. The warm front was moving southeast. Continuous cloud cover, rain in places, the lower edge of the clouds is 200-400 meters, the upper edge is 2500-3000 meters. The search was carried out within 30 minutes. Fighters were forbidden to descend into the clouds; it was too dangerous. Anti-aircraft missile divisions began to receive reports that according to the new target designations, target 8255 had not been detected. At 15.31, the army commander made a decision - target 8255 was a dense flock of birds. This was reported to the Central Command Center of the Air Defense Forces.

By 15.00 Mathias approached the railway junction of the station. Bottom. The weather had improved by this time. Above the point where the railroads crossed, Matthias changed course again and now did not change it until Moscow.

4 Accidental “legalization” of flight

At 15.05, Rust’s airplane was already within the boundaries of responsibility of the air defense unit of the Moscow Air Defense District - the 2nd Air Defense Corps (Rzhev). His route passed through the aerobatic zones of the Air Force aviation regiment, where scheduled flights were taking place. There were up to 12 fighters in the air at the same time. At 15.00, in accordance with the schedule, the code of the state identification system changed. Since this process is carried out by crews in the air and crews on the ground, this procedure takes some time. As a rule, no more than one or two minutes. In this case, the process was delayed. The higher command post demanded that the situation be immediately dealt with, since five of the twelve fighters began to be accompanied by a system without the “I am my plane” identification signal. In order not to cause confusion in the air situation, the operational duty officer of the command post of the formation gave the command to the head of the calculation of the unit's automation system: “Assign to all fighters the attribute “I am my plane.” Matthias’s plane is also assigned the attribute “I am my plane.” Thus, at 15.10 Rust, without suspecting it, temporarily received legal registration in the airspace of the USSR.

By 16.00, in the area of ​​Ostashkov, Matias’s plane entered the detection zone of the RTV unit following the flight route and lost its temporary registration. Information about the plane was again given without the sign “I am my plane.” Again, a long clarification of the situation and again the assignment of the necessary attribute and further legalization of the flight.

Matias at that time was 40 kilometers west of the city of Torzhok, where the plane crash had occurred the day before. Two planes collided in the air - Tu-22 and MiG-25. Several teams of rescuers and incident investigation specialists worked at the site where the car fragments fell. People and cargo were delivered to the site of the disaster by helicopters from the aviation unit in the area of ​​​​Torzhok. One of the helicopters was in the air as a communications relay. At 16.30 Matthias's plane was identified as a rotorcraft. Therefore, Rust did not cause any concern to anyone during this part of the flight.

5 Oxbow

The air situation in the detection zone of the next unit, where Matthias’s plane entered, was also tense. Here they fought with the notorious long-lived meteorological objects. They were observed on the radar indicator screens for 40 minutes (and several objects at the same time). All objects were moving to the southeast. Here Rust again fell “under amnesty” - he was removed from support as a meteorological object. This was already at the exit from the unit’s detection zone.

However, at the command post they noticed a difference in course between this route and the airborne objects previously dropped from escort. At 16.48, by the decision of the commander of the 2nd Air Defense Corps, two fighters on duty were scrambled from the Rzhev airfield with the task of searching for small aircraft or other aircraft southeast of the city of Staritsa. It was believed that caution during a scheduled inspection would not be superfluous. The search did not return any results.

6 Moscow. Landing on Red Square

At 17.40, Matthias’s plane fell into the radar coverage of the Moscow air hub. This seriously threatened the safety of air traffic in the Moscow aviation zone. The plane was not listed in the plan; it was flying in violation of flight rules in the zone; there was no communication with the crew. Until the situation is clarified, the administration of Sheremetyevo Airport has stopped receiving and sending passenger planes. For some reason, the media at that time attributed some kind of mystery to this fact, up to and including a preliminary conspiracy between Sheremetyevo and Rust.

When agreeing on a joint action plan with the command of the Moscow Air Defense District, it was decided that the civil aviation administration itself would deal with the violator of the flight regime. But when they discovered that the intruder was already in the Moscow city area, where flights are generally prohibited, it was too late to say or do anything.

At 18.30, Matthias’s plane appeared over Khodynka Field and continued its flight to the city center. Deciding that landing on the Kremlin's Ivanovo Square was impossible, Mathias made three unsuccessful attempts to land on Red Square. The size of the latter allowed this to be done, but there were many people on the paving stones. And, as Matthias himself said during the investigation, “although I signaled, turning on the landing lights and shaking my wings, the tourists in the square did not understand me.”

After this, Rust made a risky decision - to land on the Moskvoretsky Bridge. Turning around over the Rossiya Hotel, Matias began descending over Bolshaya Ordynka Street, turning on the landing lights. To avoid an accident on the bridge, the traffic police turned on the red traffic light. Matthias performed the landing on the bridge masterfully, considering that he had to sniper into the area between the adjacent transverse cables of the overhead trolleybus network. This happened at 18.55. Taxiing to the Intercession Cathedral and turning off the engine, Matthias got out of the plane in a brand new red jumpsuit, put chocks under the landing gear and began signing autographs. He was arrested 10 minutes later.

On September 2, 1987, the judicial panel for criminal cases of the Supreme Court of the USSR began hearing the case of Matthias Rust. He was charged with hooliganism. His landing, according to the court, threatened the lives of people in the square. He violated aviation laws and illegally crossed the Soviet border. The case was considered in open court. Then Defense Minister Sergei Sokolov, Air Defense Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Koldunov and about 300 other officers lost their positions.

Rust himself stated at the trial that his flight was a “call for peace.” On September 4, 1987, Rust was sentenced to 4 years in prison for illegally crossing the air border, violating international flight rules and malicious hooliganism. After spending a total of 432 days in pre-trial detention and prison, on August 3, 1988, he was pardoned by the Presidium of the Supreme Council and expelled from the territory of the USSR.

Mathias Rust. Aerodrome - Kremlin

28th May 1987 of the year USSR celebrated Border Guard Day. IN 18 hours 43 minutes by Moscow time over RED SQUARE flew by small private controlled airplane Matthias Rust, Cessna-172P. Having done more a couple approaches over the square, the plane turned around and landed on Moskvoretsky Bridge. He came out of the cabin dressed in red overalls 19 year old pilot – citizen Germany, Matthias Rust. When a crowd surrounded him and began to question him, where he arrived, then it turned out that he arrived, a little, a lot because BOUNDARIES. When news of a border trespasser reaches the government of our country, flares up soft speaking , big scandal. This news in the media in total Mira for a long time becomes NEWS NUMBER ONE.

28th May 1987 Soviet year Air defense V 14 hours discovers over Finnish bay several goals. One from goals first went to Soviet border, then turned to north. IN 14 hours 20 minutes again appeared new goal. Anxiety was announced via 15 minutes , when the goal is already over Soviet territory. Mathias Rust crossed the border USSR on ULTRA-LOW altitude near junction of the administrative border of Estonia And RSFSR. Then he began, then abruptly gain altitude That decline. IN 14 hours 48 minutes commander Separate 6th army Air defense, Kromin received a report from duty officer about what's in 14 hours 46 minutes in 25 kilometers west of Narva, near the village Silumäe discovered UNIDENTIFIED target. Airplane Matthias Rust was already discovered on our territory and was accepted NOT behind BORDER violator, and for violator of FLIGHT MODE!? Cromin asserts , What NOT was EVEN TALKS O BORDER TRESPASSER, bye he didn't sit on RED SQUARE!? Later 17 years Mathias Rust said that if he thought about it about seriousness consequences this flight, then I would never on him I haven't decided.

Mathias Rust began its flight from the capital Finland, Helsinki V 13 hours 21 a minute at a time Moscow time . Destination, By plan there was a flight Stockholm. Through 20 minutes after takeoff, spent last radio communication session, turned everything off radio devices, except the radio compass. And sent the plane through Finnish bay to Soviet border. On this day in the area military west of Narva carried out jumping With parachute ( see article "Gleb Evgenievich Kotelnikov"). Mathias Rust flew with the same speed How "An-2". The military tried to understand that, in the sky ? Maybe, got lost alone from cornmen? IN 14 hours 50 minutes from the airfield Air defense, "Tapa" took off MiG-23 fighter. The fighter pilot was given a task – find out – WHAT, is in the sky ? He found out and radioed that there was altitude 600 meters flies helicopter!? Then MiG-23 did re-entry on target and then said that it was small aircraft type Yak-12. Commanding Separate 6th army Air defense, Kromin gave the command to rise second MiG-23 and previously brought V combat readiness all on duty on the course anti-aircraft missiles troops and additional stations of radio technical troops.

Cessna - 172P

Matthias Rust still taken for OUT OF THE WAY With HELICOPTER COURSE or AIRPLANE??? Mathias Rust chose a plane for my flight exactly "Cessna-172P" because of the big non-stop range flight . On the plane Matthias Rust NOT was NO EXTRA FUEL TANKS. The plane had only SERIAL fuel tanks, located in staff places – V wings Standard capacity fuel tanks on this type of aircraft – more 235 liters . This was enough for more , than on 8 hour flight NO landing. Respectively non-stop range flight on this aircraft is at least 1 500 km . Mathias Rust nowhere along the route NOT landed And NOT refueled. Before departure from Helsinki, Matthias Rust refueled my plane UNDER the most TRAFFIC JAMS. After landing on Red Square he still has fuel more on 2.5 hours flight .

IN 13 hours 58 minutes Finnish air traffic control services lost airplane Matthias Rust on locator screens. Finnish Rescue services went to search for the plane Matthias Rust V proposed location plane crash. In that supposed the crash site on the surface of the sea turned out to be oil stain. After landing Matthias Rust experts carefully examined the plane and gave categorical conclusion about what's on this plane impossible push none barrel, and even more so throw away it from this type of aircraft during flight. Accordingly, it has been walking around the Baltic for a long time oil stain, no had nothing to do with Matthias Rust. After search and rescue operations Finnish rescue services first exhibited Matthias Rust account for $120,000 for carrying out this work. But then, when they began details are known this incident when they heard – WHAT, Matthias Rust spoke in court about motivation their flight then they came to absolute delight And REFUSED from their requirements.

Airplane Rusta continued his flight. Along the way Mathias Rust enough actively maneuvered but mostly according to height And speed flight . In some places it rose to a height of up to 2 km, but mostly he flew to altitudes 100-200 meters , and it also happened below 100 meters . In some places he did some turns, but I tried to stick to it given course. One from fighters approached Matthias Rust on distance 700 meters . The pilot reported that he saw airplane type Yak-12. Then the fighter flew by closer And disappeared. Mathias Rust thought , what's his now will be shot from behind. It's been a while, but it's Did not happen. Then the Soviet fighter approached Matthias Rust more closer, flew by and disappeared completely. Was low clouds, and snuggle up to small, slowly flying the MiG-23 fighter could NOT support the plane.

Cessna 172P. View from the cockpit

All of a sudden the target suddenly disappeared from ground locator screens Air defense And MiGa. Through 3 minutes after disappearing in 14 hours 55 minutes target again appeared on locator screens. Lifted into the air a couple more fighters. New pair of fighters does not see the target. Join with Matthias Rust V radio talks was impossible because he turned off the radios on your plane. Subsequently, he explained this by saying that was afraid what if radio communication will be with him accessible, then he Can not resist pressure from Soviet air defense to land earlier, than he intended. IN 15 hours Mathias Rust flies up to Pskov. IN Pskov areas at this time are passing flight exercises, and a plane Matthias Rust receives designation “OWN”!? Near 1st hour “yours” flies to southeast. IN 16 hours he is already next to Lake Seliger. There is an area of ​​responsibility another air defense unit and a plane Matthias Rust loses the code "mine". The military again had to decide - WHAT, this is for the plane and What with him do?

Here it is necessary to recall an incident that happened 1983 year on Far East(see article "Korean Boeing 1983"). Then there was passenger hit airplane – "South Korean Boeing". After this incident on Far East, for troops air defense, came out HARD ORDER – KNOCK DOWN above our territory, in case of border violation, MILITARY ONLY aircraft. A CIVIL And TRANSPORT airplanes, in case of border violation, ONLY FORCE To LANDING on our territories.

Airplane Matthias Rust moved from one area of ​​responsibility Air defense to another, and nobody so and NOT completed order LAND the intruder plane. IN 16 hours 6 minutes plane Matthias Rust above eastern shore Seliger. At this time on RADAR are highlighted 6 more points – This VORTEX FLOW. The plane is with them Matthias Rust receives designation How – “WET EDUCATION”. Next, near the city Torzhok, Matthias Rust helped more one case. Yesterday there was a crash in this area , from colliding with each other , two military aircraft. There was in the sky many helicopters performing search and rescue work. Airplane Matthias Rust mistaken for , Another one search helicopter. IN 17 hours 11 minutes Mathias Rust falls within the area of ​​responsibility Moscow air defense region . Here he gets designation How – “THE SOVIET HELICOPTER THAT VIOLATED FLIGHT REGULATIONS”??? Another fighter is lifted into the air. Due to the thick cloudiness, same for him NOT manages to get close enough close quarters, to determine - WHAT, behind an object is in the sky.

Cessna 172P. Cockpit

IN 18 hours 30 minutes the object crosses outskirts of Moscow, near Khodynsky field. To this moment Mathias Rust flew by more than 700 km . Flying up to Red Square, Mathias Rust I saw a big one in the square crowd of people. May 28 noted holiday "Border Guard Day". He did a couple of laps above the square and realized that on THE SQUARE ITSELF land him It will NOT work. After that he saw next to Red Square, Moskvoretsky Bridge, determined that he you can land and committed it on him LANDING. After landing on the bridge they remained STRIPS from , struck the tires. Then he rolled down bridge down. traffic cop, standing at the end at the time bridge, seeing landing on bridge airplane, blocked in advance traffic then with a rod showed Directions to Matthias Rust, where to turn. Mathias Rust turned to Vasilyevsky Spusk and stopped there.

With this Moskvoretsky Bridge some related Detective story. The point is that at the moment when Mathias Rust landed on Moskvoretsky Bridge, it was just 3 wires, stretched across – V the beginning V middle, and in end of the bridge. He flew over first, then dived under second and landed. When on trial September 4th photographs were shown Moskvoretsky Bridge, it was already on it a lot more wires stretched across. Judge asked Matthias Rust: “How You were able to land the plane between, so thick hanging wires? Mathias Rust answered : « During it landings, on no bridge there were so many wires." Then it turned out that Moscow authorities, after landing Matthias Rust, during 1-2 days V urgently, AT NIGHT bet on this bridge, many pillars and pulled between them wires.

Cessna 172P. Dashboard

People on I didn’t immediately understand the square = WHAT happened. The crowd surrounded the pilot and the plane. At first people thought , What making a MOVIE. Then people started asking questions – Who pilot and where he arrived. Mathias Rust answered to all questions. During interrogation in KGB first question was given to him : « You intentionally arrived in Border Guard Day? Mathias Rust replied that didn't even know about such a holiday. An investigation has begun - WHO, this German young man - scout, provocateur or simply psycho. KGB men started to find out – like, enough young pilot I was able to do this, in general, NOT an easy flight. During the investigation it turned out that Mathias Rust at home Homeland V Germany went very well GOOD FLIGHT SCHOOL! He began his flight training in 18 year old age . Instructor, who taught Matthias Rust flying business, noted that he had noticeably, greater abilities in flight training than other cadets! Before his famous flight Matthias Rust has already had quite good piloting qualities and even had quite Serious PILOT EXPERIENCE! For example, he flew completely ON ONE'S OWN V Iceland And back. Let us clarify that the flight to Iceland happens mostly over OCEAN. Above no ocean no ORIENTATIONS – one continuous the same water. The flight is underway only By DEVICES In flight over ocean pilot The pilot's abilities are manifested in to the highest degree!

However, make your flight Matthias Rust helped Not only his piloting abilities. During the investigation KGB men found out that in flight Mathias Rust enjoyed TOP SECRET CARD. This map was marked secret military facilities, secret airfields And secret air defense zones - in which to appear in the air Absolutely forbidden. If you appear in the air in this zone That without all sorts of queries - who are you - you get a rocket. Mathias Rust carefully bypassed these areas. When KGB men learned — Where Mathias Rust took this card, then they were, To put it mildly, we were surprised. First they thought what is this card Rustu presented by any of the foreign intelligence, but it turned out that Soviet top secret air defense map Can FREE TO BUY By reasonable price, V USA - in normal POSTAL COMPANY. At first KGB officers did not believe Matthias Rust and thought , What Rust their deceives but then they went to USA according to the specified address and purchased the same map By small price.

Cessna 172P. Lufthansa Airlines. Pilot training school

During the investigation by law enforcement agencies with Matthias Rust, there was also a meeting at the highest leadership of the country. The government of the country wanted find out how such could happen. Reports from senior military leadership were heard. They turned out to be unsure And confused. The government concluded that this was common RUSSIAN SILENCE. May 30th was sent to resignation Minister of Defense of the USSR, Sergei Leonidovich Sokolov, then dismissed Air Defense Commander-in-Chief, Alexander Ivanovich Koldunov and Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Alexander Nikolaevich Efimov. Plus almost more 250 generals And officers. 30 military personnel Air defense was involved in disciplinary liability. They appeared before the court 2 officers who were on that day combat duty. They received 4 And 5 years imprisonment, but less than in 1 their year will be released. These two switchmen imputed NOT ACCEPTANCE solutions to DESTRUCTION violator – Matthias Rust. This case clearly and convincingly showed that the country NOT READY To PROTECT YOURSELF, same as before The Great Patriotic War???

Soon after the flight Matthias Rust something similar happened in Paris. And in 1994 year in Washington on the same plane the pilot tried to land on lawn before White House. Yes, in France and in USA similar cases also happened, but there NOT were Ministers of Defense removed. Americans And French people preferred , first of all, strengthen RADAR SERVICE. IN THE USSR, after this incident, they provided HELICOPTERS For air defense, made a replacement RADIO EQUIPMENT, provided "MiG-29" For air defense aviation.

In Soviet Union Matthias Rust tried By 3m articles . First - illegal violation of the state border. Second - violation of international flight rules ( before 10 years ). Third - malicious hooliganism. Mathias Rust received 4 of the year general regime but, from Lefortovo nowhere didn't move and besides, he had some privileges. For example, he had 2 mattress and 2 pillows. Nutrition he had absolutely not prison. Every day after 16 hours he walked V prison garden. They were allowed to walk far in this garden not everyone inhabitants Lefortovo. Officially he could walk in the garden 1 hour , But really could be in the garden and 2 hours . First glass of water, which he received in prison, it was a glass of tea. Having tried it, Mathias Rust felt strong taste of chlorine And thought that they want him poison, but they explained to him , What Moscow water strongly chlorinated and water in all over Moscow like this .

IN foreign press , At that time, articles often appeared that supposedly above Matthias Rust in prison sophisticated are being bullied. To remove such accusations, the Soviet authorities regularly carried out checks prisoner conditions cell number 34 And All filmed on camera. Extreme this check passed 20th July 1988 of the year . IN Lefortovo Matthias Rust recovered from hay fever, which he was sick. From his experiences he developed gastritis, and he was prescribed medicines. Got rid of allergies. Torn out one tooth. After serving 14 months , August 3, 1988 of the year Mathias Rust was released from prison. Rust went home to Germany. Deprived all FLIGHT LICENSE. CRIMINAL CASE, brought on him on To the Motherland - TERMINATED.

Photo from the newspaper La Reppublica.

20 years ago, a 19-year-old boy from Germany landed his small plane one step away from the Kremlin.
"I was 19 years old, the world was divided by the Cold War. With the help of a small Cessna plane, I decided to fulfill a dream: to fly from the West directly to Red Square. As a gesture of peace: flying as a symbolic bridge between two worlds. I am Matthias Rust, the one who 20 years ago I landed on a single-engine plane one step from the Kremlin. I would repeat it again: sometimes a little bit of youthful spontaneity can wake up the world and benefit reality.”
Two decades is a long time, but he has hardly changed: the same searching look, the friendly smile of a teenager who loves adventure novels. I sit with him on the terrace of a café overlooking wealthy Hamburg, and his story brings back the picture of those years.
It happened 20 years ago: while flying in a rented pleasure plane, Matthias Rust managed to invade Soviet airspace, fly over a dozen top-secret air force and missile bases and land on Red Square. Gorbachev at that time was going through a difficult moment in the dialogue with Reagan and in the confrontation with the orthodoxies within the country, but he wanted disarmament and reform. And so the youthful frivolity of this young man, carried away by the stories of Karl May, violated reality. More than any Pentagon statistics about the economic disaster in the USSR or the war in Afghanistan, more than any accusations of dissidents or criticism of the five-year socialist plans by the population, photos and television reports of Rust and his tiny airplane with a German flag on the steering wheel, of the cheering crowd, surrounding him one step from the Kremlin, demonstrated to the world the incapacity and mortal disease of the empire created by Stalin.
- Mr. Rust, some see you as a brave pacifist, others see you as an irresponsible type. How and why did you decide to take this flight?
- Reflecting on this act today, I feel freedom. Then other feelings wandered in my soul. The Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavik failed, on one side and on the other they feared a new cold snap. I thought of a symbolic gesture. Flight is like an ideal bridge. To tell the leaders of both blocs that people on both sides of the Iron Curtain just want to live in peace. Do you remember Sting's song Russians? Her spirit was just that: Russians love their children too, he sang. I believed in it.
- Was this decision made spontaneously, or did you carefully prepare for it?
- I prepared well. I flew on such a plane over the Atlantic. I wanted to test my nerves: you know, flying over the sea for hours is a severe psychological test. On May 25, three days into the flight, I arrived in Helsinki. I decided that I would not back down.
- While flying from Helsinki to Moscow, flying over dozens of secret military installations, you did not experience fear, one of the most natural human feelings.
- Yes, I asked myself many times whether I was doing the right thing or not. But I was an individualist and was ready to take risks, as happens at the age of 19: yes, I acted frivolously, but at that age you don’t think much about danger and fear. I was only thinking about the distance between Helsinki and Moscow and how to get there on one gas station.
-Did you make false documents?
- I submitted the flight plan to Sweden to the Finnish authorities. I took off in Helsinki and headed West. He flew at an average altitude of 600 meters, and when he found himself above the sea, he changed course. I headed southeast. An hour into the flight I saw the coast of Estonia. I felt a mixed feeling of tension and relief. I was happy: I was flying towards my goal. And with every minute I understood more and more clearly that it was no longer possible to change my mind, to turn back. Almost five hours of flight separated me from Moscow. When I arrived, I still had two hours of fuel left.
- Is it true that you flew very low so as not to be intercepted?
- The average height is 600 meters, not so low. Of course, this is not 15 or 30 meters from the ground, as modern military aircraft fly. I didn't want to hide. A gesture of peace should be visual. I only went lower a couple of times, and then only because the propeller and wings began to ice up. I constantly monitored the compass direction, I had provisions with me, but I did not eat or drink anything. And suddenly, completely unexpectedly, a feeling of fear pierced me.
- What happened?
“I was flying in the clouds, seeing practically nothing below me, when ahead, at a distance of several kilometers, a silvery, fast-moving object appeared, aiming at me. It was a MiG - an air defense aircraft, the feared Soviet air defense system. This was my first meeting with “them”. A blow to the heart. It was very difficult to keep my nerves under control. It only lasted a few minutes, terrible minutes. You know, the memories of the Boeing shot down over Sakhalin during the Andropov era were still fresh. The MiG caught up with me, flew very close, at first it was behind me, then it turned out to be on the side. His speed was greater than mine. I noticed the pilot's gaze under his helmet. He chased me for a short time, then sped up and disappeared into nowhere. A few minutes seemed like an eternity to me. I was again overcome with mixed feelings. Relief, because they didn’t shoot at me, and doubt and anxiety, because now I knew for sure: they knew that I was flying over their territory.
- Did you calm down when you arrived in Moscow?
- Yes. No MiGs, no air defense, no signals from the ground. Below me, under the small wings of the Cessna, there was a huge city, it took my breath away. To get my bearings, I tried to make out the Rossiya Hotel - remember that huge white monolith near Red Square? I saw "Russia" before the Kremlin towers, and dropped the altitude.
- And than?
- The sight of the square increased my fear. From above, she seemed smaller to me than I had imagined. But to land on the Cessna, 200 meters would have been enough for me, I made three attempts and gained altitude again three times: a crowd of curious people gathered below, what was happening was similar to a Fellini film. I was afraid of hurting or running over someone. I saw the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge, a wide, six-lane bridge, and I sat on it. While taxiing, I reached the square itself, drove past the temple and the monument to Minin and Pozharsky and found myself at the entrance to the Spasskaya Tower. Then I turned off the engine and sat in the cockpit for a long time, a whole quarter of an hour.
- Why?
- Because I asked myself whether it was worth taking off again and coming back. It’s too late, Matthias, I answered myself. There won't be enough fuel. I made up my mind, opened the cabin and went down. I was immediately surrounded by a crowd.
-Did you feel afraid?
- No, people didn't look hostile. They were curious and smiled. "Where did you come from?" – they asked me in English. “From Helsinki,” I answered nervously. “But there is a German flag on the plane, not a Finnish one. Are you a comrade from the GDR?” “No, friends, no. I’m from Germany, I came with a gesture of peace,” I answered hesitantly. "ABOUT!" – they exclaimed in surprise. They showed doubt, but not threat. The young woman broke the ice: she, smiling, came to meet me, and handed me bread and salt, greeting me in this way.
- What about the police, the KGB, the military?
- Almost an hour has passed. The black "Chaika" arrived - remember those Russian "Cadillacs"? An officer and several young policemen came out. We spoke English. They were calm and polite. They asked me for my documents and searched the plane. Then the passport was returned. An elderly officer told me: “Young man, I am the chief of the Moscow police. Where is your visa, damn it? Welcome, but where is your visa? You understand, this is a problem.”
- When were you arrested?
- A lot of time passed, I didn’t look at the clock. A black Volga arrived, then a truck with police: the officers set up a barrier and drove away the crowd, although the people did not want to leave my side. “Young man, I’m sorry, but you will have to follow us,” they told me politely. “Sit down, please. At the department we will find out your history with the visa.” I got into the Volga and we arrived at the nearest police station. One of them translated into German. They clearly said in my native language: “We are from the State Security Committee.” Fortunately, in the German translation I did not recognize the Russian abbreviation KGB, otherwise I would have died of fear.
- How long did the interrogation last?
- Few hours. I explained that I landed on Red Square because I wanted to make a gesture of peace. “In any case, he has no weapons on board,” they noted. They didn't want to believe it, but they didn't know what to think. The police station building was very old. “Let’s go, let’s continue the conversation in a more convenient place, in Lefortovo,” they said. I didn't know it was the central prison. They began to ask tougher questions. “If you hide the truth, we will find out anyway, but by doing so you are making your situation worse. Admit that the imperialists paid you for this provocation.” “No,” I insisted, “I thought of everything myself.” They did not believe it, and the interrogation continued until 4 am. I had a headache, I was mortally tired, and asked to stop the interrogation. “Okay, boy,” they answered. “Eat something, then we’ll take you to bed. But you understand, we can’t take you to a hotel, no matter how much you might like it.”
- Is this how life began in Lefortovo?
- Yes, I was afraid that I wouldn’t get out of there. In a few weeks I lost 10 kg. I was in a double cell. Alexander, my Ukrainian cellmate, was imprisoned in the Astoria Hotel; he calmed me down by reading articles from Pravda. We did not know what was happening behind the walls of the prison: the small window located under the ceiling was made of thick, cloudy glass. Then there was a process. Correct, no violence or threats. Regular contacts with the German embassy. The court sentence turned out to be harsh: 4 years in the camps. I thought this was the end. An elderly uniformed officer came to take me into the cell.
- Who was that?
- Petrenko, head of the prison. He started talking, scolding me like a father. “Boy, listen, when I was as old as you are now, in May 1945, I served in Zhukov’s units that took Berlin. I, along with others, entered the Reichstag, with a red flag and a machine gun in my hands. Don’t you think that Have you Germans already done a lot of things?" “Yes, you are right,” I replied, “I’m sorry, but I was born later, much later. I may have made a mistake, but I was only thinking about a gesture of goodwill.” Since then he began to visit me often. We talked about the war and the present. Then I found out that he was on the verge of retirement. And I asked to postpone his retirement because my case had not yet been settled. He came to the cell to explain this to me. “Boy, you were sentenced to labor camps, but it was decided to leave you in Lefortovo: you are safe with us. After your flight, many military personnel were severely punished, who can guarantee your safety if you are sent to Siberia?”
- 14 months in Lefortovo. How do you remember them?
- It was hard. I don’t hold a grudge against anyone, but inside I was experiencing severe pain, I told myself every day: why did I do this? Why didn’t I choose a normal life, study, career? My parents could visit me once every three months, sometimes officials from the consulate came. I told them: I lost 10 kg, I have anorexia, stomach cramps. Alexander supported me. And month after month, thanks to the articles from Pravda that he translated for me, I saw that the world outside the prison walls was changing: there were reports of changes in the East, of East-West détente, of blocs no longer opposing each other.
- Then amnesty?
- It turned out to be unexpected. 14 months after the verdict. I still remember this day. It was 14:00. The guards arrived. They brought me clothes that I had to wear instead of prison pajamas during meetings with lawyers, parents, and German diplomats. Alexander explained everything to me. “Boy, you seem to be lucky,” he said. “You don’t think that you will be taken to Siberia in these clothes?” My head was spinning as I was led into the meeting room. There was the new head of the prison, Rastvorov, judges Dobrovolsky and Komkov, and Vera Petrovna, she was a translator at my trial. Komkov took out a red folder and opened it. I read out the decree: I was amnestied and had to leave Soviet territory. The decree was signed by Andrei Gromyko, at that time the chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. I felt myself come alive. Mr. No signed my release!
- In Germany you were greeted as a hero?
- Well, problems have begun. Siege by the media. Hostile articles that portrayed me as a madman who had endangered the world. I was deprived of my piloting rights, they started an investigation against me with absurd accusations: a threat to peace or treason, then the case was closed. But I don’t regret anything, je ne regrette rien (Edith Piaf’s song “No Regrets.” – Ed.). Was it a frivolous adventure? Perhaps, but I insist: sometimes youthful recklessness is part of the world. A flight marked by fears, worries that you've made a mistake, that it's too late to turn back? Yes. And yet I did the right thing by making my dream come true. Even at that terrible moment when this MiG flew like a red arrow next to me in the cold sky of Russia.


When Matthias Rust approached the USSR border, the army leadership alerted 3 air defense units. 2 Soviet interceptor fighters took off into the sky. One pilot reported that the unidentified object was very similar to the Soviet Yak-12 (a light multi-role transport aircraft). After this, the management gave up.

The pilots of two other interceptors, who came close to the Cessna plane, did not see the German flag and German registration number on it!
Air defense servicemen who noticed Matthias Rust's plane decided that it was being flown by a trainee who simply forgot to turn on the radar transponder.
Two more Soviet fighters intercepted the Cessna plane a little later, but also left it alone. The commander informed the pilots that flying at such a low altitude was too dangerous.
The Cessna was also spotted on the radar station, but the operator decided that it was a helicopter performing search and rescue work nearby. The leadership of the USSR was shocked when Matthias Rust landed his plane right in the middle of Red Square. The pilot was immediately arrested and sent to jail for 18 months.



At the controls of the plane that landed on Red Square in 1987 was 18-year-old German Matthias Rust. A joke immediately appeared that there was now a Sheremetyevo-3 airport in the center of Moscow. The Soviet generals had no time for jokes - many lost their posts, including the Minister of Defense.

Matthias Rust himself, who has since served time both in the USSR and at home, recently in an interview with Stern magazine called that flight irresponsible and added that he would definitely not repeat it now. However, he won’t be able to. The skies of Europe are still closed to him, although history itself is not closed even 25 years later.

Matthias Rust prefers to control the situation. He recently returned from Latin America. There I passed as a pilot again. Flew. In Europe, Rust has not been allowed to fly an airplane for 25 years.

“I sometimes dream about that flight, usually during the day, when I take a nap after lunch. And even if I have a little free time, the memories come up on their own,” says Matthias Rust.

Rust sat down on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge. Then I drove to Vasilievsky Spusk, willingly signed autographs, spoke, and brought a letter of peace to Gorbachev. They even brought him bread and salt. And it seemed that the Iron Curtain was just a smoke screen, because everything was so simple.

“The flight maps were available. The KGB still didn’t want to believe me that I simply ordered them, like any other road atlases. Then they themselves ordered the same maps through the Soviet embassy then in Bonn and were very surprised when they received them "- recalls Matthias Rust.

Here is the route of an 18-year-old pilot who had flown only 50 hours at that time: a long flight from Germany over the sea to the Faroe Islands, followed by Iceland (Reykjavik), Norway (Bergen), Finland (Helsinki), and then almost at random to Moscow. He navigated by railroad. This part of the route is full of the most amazing coincidences. Rust's plane flew into the rescue operation area. The bomber crashed. Many helicopters in the air. Rust's Cessna is mistaken for a light-engine Soviet aircraft. Then he is once again assigned the code “I am mine.” At the same time, Rust was discovered immediately after he crossed the state border and could have been shot down, including on the approach to Moscow.

“We have the S-300 system, it takes the target at 100 meters. And if I launch three missiles at this crummy airplane and they explode at an altitude of 50-100 meters, and there is a kindergarten below, what will I do then? It was a provocation planned 100% advantageously,” says the commander of the Moscow Air Defense District troops in 1987-1989. Vladimir Tsarkov.

Tsarkov claims: Rust’s flight is an operation of Western intelligence services. And the border violator himself is a well-trained pilot, and he had already visited Moscow in advance. Rust says: he sat down at random.

“Without visiting the site, it is impossible to land in such difficult conditions. What if there is a cable running over the road, this is unknown,” notes Michael Hanke, instructor at the Pegasus pilot school.

And although pilots of the same aircraft in Germany still sometimes jokingly say: “Well, let’s fly to Moscow,” they all understand that now such an adventure would be impossible.

In fact, Matthias Rust’s flight had virtually no impact on the development of small aviation in Europe. The terrorist attacks of September 11 had an impact. After them, a special device is installed on any aircraft, which transmits the individual identification number of the aircraft to ground services. That is, on the radar it is no longer just a dot, but a dot with its own unique number, that is, for example, this plane cannot be confused with any other in the air.

A Soviet court sentenced Matthias Rust to 4 years in prison. He served a little more than 14 months in a model colony. After his release, his fate was not easy. He returned to Germany, but even after that he broke the law. First, an attack on a woman with a knife. It's time again. Then stealing a sweater from a department store. He explains that he was barely making ends meet.

“Everything turned out this way because it had to happen. It’s just my destiny,” says Matthias Rust.

The plane in which Rust made the historic flight is exhibited in Berlin at the Technical Museum. Here it is one of the symbols of the end of the Cold War. However, his wings are still decorated with signs resembling a bomb. There are still too many questions in this story today. The case materials of the pilot Rust are still classified.

 

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