Pilot Wanted to See Gorbachev, Parents Say
West German teen-ager Mathias Rust made his daring solo flight from Finland to Moscow, landing in Red Square, in a bold bid to meet Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to discuss peace, his parents were quoted as saying Monday.
Monika and Karl-Heinz Rust told the weekly magazine Stern that their son became depressed after President Reagan and Gorbachev failed to reach an arms deal last October at Reykjavik, Iceland, after getting so close.
According to the magazine, Mathias, 19, told his parents: “A historical chance has gone begging. That was perhaps the last chance the world has.”
The youth is currently being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison and could face trial. Under Soviet law, violation of airspace could lead to a 10-year jail sentence.
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