I do recall reading accounts of an orbiting Russian craft that could not return to earth. Supposedly sources in other countries could, for a few days, hear the astronauts radio for help. Then the voices of the astronauts and the signal itself, grew weaker and stopped. This would fit Russia’s history but I shudder to think it may be true. A friend who was a physicist said that the much bragged about ‘first woman in space’, also a Russian, has rather complete virtigo and must be helped to sit upright or stand because her ear drums burst upon ‘landing’...But the Russians never admitted to that publicly. And let’s just talk about the Russian decision to bounce a capsule off of land instead of waves,shall we...?
AS I recall, his flight doesn’t even meet the criteria for a true space flight and return to earth. Mainly because he didn’t make a landing with the ship, he ejected from the craft before it landed. The Soviets hid that fact for years.