Mathias Rust
Mathias Rust
Mathias Rustis a German aviator known for his illegal landing near Red Square in Moscow on 28 May 1987. An amateur pilot, he flew from Helsinki, Finland to Moscow, being tracked several times by Soviet air defense and interceptors. The Soviet fighters never received permission to shoot him down, and several times he was mistaken for a friendly aircraft. He landed on Vasilevsky Descent next to Red Square near the Kremlin in the capital of the Soviet Union...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionPilot
Date of Birth1 June 1968
CountryGermany
I ended up injuring her with a knife I had on me. I can't really remember what happened.
You have to be young to be able to do things like that. Now I'm more cautious. I'm proud that I was able to do what I did - psychologically it was a great wall to climb - but sometimes I regret it.
I got my private pilot's license in autumn 1986.
I don't have my pilot's licence anymore, but I'm still very political.
My parents came to visit every two months and brought plenty of books.
My plan was to land in Red Square, but there were too many people and I thought I'd cause casualties.
My parents were angry, but they were relieved that I was in good condition. They had been afraid the Russians would torture me. They told me not to do it again!
I had one companion. He was a teacher from the Ukraine who spoke English so we could communicate a bit. I learnt a few Russian words, but it was hard to concentrate.
The defence and air defence ministers were both replaced and more than 2,000 officers lost their jobs.
I didn't tell anybody about my plan because I was convinced my family or friends would stop me. I didn't think much about what would happen afterwards.
I had thought about landing in the Kremlin, but there wasn't enough space.
Once this key conflict is eased, it will have a huge impact on the world. It will take time to find a solution. It's similar to the situation between East and the West at the time of my flight.
After that I couldn't show my face outside. I lost my identity and balance. I was still living with my parents, and they were my only friends. For so many people, this thing with the nurse was confirmation that I must be mad or mentally ill.
I now work for a finance company in Luxembourg with projects in South America and the Caribbean.