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 don't have my pilot's licence anymore, but I'm still very political.
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.
Imprisonment hit me so hard - much harder than I had thought.
I moved away for three years and went to Trinidad where I met my wife, Athena.
I had thought about landing in the Kremlin, but there wasn't enough space.
Currently I have about 25 people involved - scientists, former Nobel Peace Prize winners. Top people capable of finding solutions.
I wanted to choose somewhere public, because I was scared of the KGB.
I got my private pilot's license in autumn 1986.
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.
All Orion and Isis members are anonymous - it works better that way. It allows everyone to work together without jealousy or personal issues.
I now work for a finance company in Luxembourg with projects in South America and the Caribbean.
I regret what happened. I saw no other possibility to achieve my goal. It was not hooliganism.