Soviet Union Welcome to Moscow

A joyriding pilot lands in Red Square and prompts a defense shake-up

Fittingly enough, last Thursday was Border Guard Day in the Soviet Union, a national celebration that honors the troops protecting the country's sprawling frontiers. Tourists and Muscovites strolling through Red Square that evening looked up to see a small single-engine plane coming in low from the south. It circled the great plaza, barely clearing the red brick walls of the Kremlin and buzzing the Lenin Mausoleum before finally touching down. At about 7:30 p.m. the little craft came to rest on the cobblestones behind onion-domed St. Basil's Cathedral. Bystanders scattered. Police gaped in astonishment. Official black sedans sped to the spot.

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