[tlozo]

Or they would say nothing and pretend they didn’t know anything

Right, for more than 20 years an enemy of the US would keep it quiet. Okay

[Alberta's Child]

Just yesterday there was a thread about a U.S. Navy pilot who shot down 4-5 Soviet fighters on one mission during the Korean War.

The U.S. kept the incident secret for more than 50 years until the records were declassified. The story is in the news now because the guy is still alive and is being awarded the Navy Cross.

What makes you think the Soviet government was any less capable of keeping secrets than ours?