Gagarin and the battle for truth

Russia’s success in the space race launched a bizarre battle to control the truth around Yuri Gagarin’s Christian beliefs.

Gagarin became the first man in space on 12 April 1961, when his 108-minute flight above the Earth ended with a successful touchdown.

But, in keeping with a secretive Russian regime, even the news around that touchdown was a lie, and that was a fact-altering theme which extended even to Gagarin’s personal beliefs.

The touchdown lie? The Soviet propaganda machine claimed the Vostock capsule landed perfectly on dry land with Gagarin inside. In truth, the cosmonaut had bailed out and landed by parachute.

Next for the communist propagandists was Gagarin’s faith. It was announced that the 27-year-old cosmonaut said: “I went up to space, but I didn’t encounter God.”

In fact, the quote was later attributed to Russian President Nikita Khrushchev.

General Valentin Petrov, a personal friend of Gagarin and Professor of the Russian Airforce Academy, said: “Gagarin was a baptised faithful throughout all his life. He always confessed God whenever he was provoked, no matter where he was.

“That famous phrase which has been ascribed to him, well, in actual fact it was Khrushchev who had said it.

“It was heard during a meeting of the Central Committee, whose desire it was to promulgate anti-religious propaganda. 

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