Question

during operation ryan, the soviet union:

a. became convinced that the united states and its allies were about to launch a nuclear attack, and began preparing for war.
b. launched an intelligence-gathering operation to determine whether the united states was preparing to launch a nuclear attack.
c. shot down a korean air lines passenger flight because the soviets were convinced it was a u.s. spy plane.
d. invaded afghanistan to ensure that the communist government was able to stay in power.

Explanation:

Define Operation RYaN

Operation RYaN (Raketno-Yadernoe Napadenie) was a Cold War military intelligence program initiated by the Soviet Union in May 1981 under KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov.

Identify the primary objective

The purpose of the operation was to monitor and gather intelligence on whether the United States and its NATO allies were preparing to launch a sudden first-strike nuclear attack against the Soviet Union.

Evaluate the options

• Option A describes the culmination of the 1983 war scare (such as during Able Archer 83), rather than the definition of Operation RYaN itself.
• Option B accurately defines the operation as an intelligence-gathering initiative to detect preparations for a nuclear strike.
• Option C refers to the shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in September 1983, which was a separate incident.
• Option D refers to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, which predates Operation RYaN.

Select the correct option

Therefore, Option B is the correct description of what the Soviet Union did during Operation RYaN.

Answer:

• (A) became convinced that the United States and its allies were about to launch a nuclear attack, and began preparing for war.
• (B) launched an intelligence-gathering operation to determine whether the United States was preparing to launch a nuclear attack. (Correct answer)
• (C) shot down a Korean Air Lines passenger flight because the Soviets were convinced it was a U.S. spy plane.
• (D) invaded Afghanistan to ensure that the communist government was able to stay in power.