The German aviator who flew to Moscow and landed beside Red Square was Mathias Rust. On 28 May 1987, the 18-year-old amateur pilot crossed from Finland into the Soviet Union in a rented Reims Cessna F172P.
Rust’s flight was intended, by his account, to create an “imaginary bridge” between East and West during the Cold War. He evaded or confused Soviet air-defence systems and eventually landed on the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, next to Red Square and the Kremlin.
A common misconception is that Rust landed directly in Red Square. He landed on the nearby bridge, then taxied toward the square, where astonished pedestrians gathered around the aircraft. Soviet authorities arrested him, and he was sentenced to four years for violating aviation laws, illegally crossing the border, and hooliganism.
The incident embarrassed the Soviet military and enabled Mikhail Gorbachev to dismiss senior defence officials during a period of political reform.