Mathias Rust

The exploit

After having modified his Cessna 172 during spring 1987, by adding fuel tanks to him in the place of the momentary seats, Mathias Rust takes off on May 14th of a flying-club close to Hamburg for a Scandinavian tour which will successively lead it in Iceland, in Norway, Finland and Sweden. May 28th, it leaves the Aéroport Helsinki-Malmi to Finland towards 12:30, and deviates from its flight plan to penetrate in the USSR at low altitude. To 19:24, after 800 km of overflight of the Soviet territory, it presents above the Red Place of Moscow and, after two loops, is posed without encumbers beside the wall of the the Kremlin, in front of the amazed eyes of the population, the tourists and the authorities. After having signed some autographs with the idlers, it is stopped by the police force. At the 19 years age, it enters the history, undoubtedly with the assistance of the chance, because this day was also the official feastday of the frontier guards, profiting from a relaxation of safety and thus avoiding to him being located. Mig made two turns around him then left it. The goal of Mathias Rust was to promote by its epic the peace in the world.

Political consequences

Mikhaïl Gorbatchev benefitted from the emotion caused by the event to dismiss its Minister for defense and the person in charge of the air defense - which, both, faithful to the spirit Brejnev IEN, famous were opposed to the Glasnost and the Perestroïka -, by replacing them by partisans of its political ideas. More than 2000 officers, whose majority were opposed to the reforms of Gorbatchev, were also évincés. Thus this event impromptu benefitted the victory from the reformists to the detriment from the communist conservatives and the soldiers.

Personal consequences

The lawsuit of Mathias Rust began in Moscow the September 2nd 1987. He was condemned to four years of forced labors for Hooligan ism, not compliance with the rules of international aviation and illegal crossing of the Soviet border. After 432 days of prison in Russia, it was released before a meeting of the leaders soviéto-German, the August 3rd 1988.

The detention conditions being very hard in the Soviet prisons - for example 22 hours of enfermement daily in a cell of 10 m ² -, Mathias Rust lost 10 kg and had important intestinal problems.

In 1989, it knew sentimental failures near an auxiliary nursery nurse - it wounded it with a knife -, which was worth to him two years an additional custodial sentence. It was however released four months afterwards.

Return in Russia

In 1994, Mathias Rust announced that it wished to turn over in the country that it humiliated seven years before, to visit an orphanage of which he became the godfather.

After that, it disappeared during two years. Rumors circulated applicant who it was deceased, but it seems now that during these years, he worked as salesman of shoes in Moscow. Two years afterwards, after having travelled all over the world, it turned over to Germany.

Today

Currently, it adopted philosophy Hindou E and lives peacefully with Berlin in Germany with his second Athena wife.

In 2001, it was condemned for shoplifting. In 2002, it launched a “Think tank”, called Orion & Isis , of which the objective is to work on nonviolent solutions to solve the intergovernmental conflicts, ethnic or religious.

Homonymy

Mathias Rust is also a movie actor, which in particular took part in the turning of Fucking Åmål in 1999.

External bonds

((in)) TV Interview 2007 English Interview with Mathias Rust. (May 28,2007)
Official site of Mathias Rust
Guardian: interview of Mathias Rust
Article of Alsapresse on the flight of 1987

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