Mathias Rust had some real cahoneys to
do what he did. He was a West German
who grew fed up with the Cold War
tensions that were constantly emerging
from all around the world.
He was an amateur pilot, often noted to
be 'mentally unstable', he wasn't sure
what he could do until one day he told
his parents he was going to take his plane
out for a spin.
After two weeks of day dreaming and
planning, Rust finally got the courage to
take his plane to Moscow. Each
broadcaster tower on his way to Moscow
thought he was a local pilot and for the
most part, paid little to no attention to
him.
He finally made it to Russia where he
thought he should land near the Soviet
Union landmark, The Kremlin. Rust
changed his mind and aimed for the Red
Square, however there were too many
people around for him to land safely.
Rust landed nearby, and later walked into
Red Square to find himself being stared at
by hundreds of Russiands.
He told them that he came from Germany
(as East Germany was an ally of the Soviet
Union) and people cheered until he said
"The West, not the East." He was quickly
arrested after saying "I was just here to
deliver a peace message to Mikael
Gorbachev."
Apparently his message reached Mikael
Gorbachev, as the story made
international headlines, and Gorbachev
replaced many politicians with ones that
were also looking to end the Cold War!
Mathias Rust was sentenced to four years
in prison, but was released after one by
the Soviet Union as a "goodwill gesture".
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