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crookedindifference:

The 19-year old that ended the Cold War

Mathias Rust is a German man known for his illegal landing near Red Square in Moscow in 1987. Rust’s successful flight through a supposedly impregnable air defense system had a great impact on the Soviet military and led to the firing of many senior officers, including Defence Minister Sergei Sokolov. The incident enabled Mikhail Gorbachev to speed his reforms (by removing numerous military officials opposed to him), and reduced the prestige of the Soviet military among the population, thus helping bring an end to the Cold War.