Stanislav Petrov Stops False Missile Alert

On September 26, 1983, a malfunction in the Soviet Union's Oko early-warning system falsely reported that five U.S. intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched toward Russia. The software glitch was caused by a satellite that misinterpreted sunlight reflections on clouds as missile launches. Duty officer Stanislav Petrov defied protocol and chose not to report the alert up the chain of command, a decision credited with preventing a potential nuclear exchange.

Previous Fact Next Fact