How likely is it that there were open battles between US and USSR forces between the beginning of the cold war and now that we don't know about?

by Craftword

I'm not necessarily talking about huge battles like D-Day or something like that. I was thinking small scale engagements between special operations teams and the like.

ddsilver

Almost totally nil. Battles require troops, and troops talk. Both the Russians and the Americans would have realized who they were fighting, and eventually would have spilled the beans - if for no other reason than to derive combat veteran benefits. Consider the "secret" Cambodian campaigns during the Vietnam-era. Some of those came to light because the veterans in question were being denied treatment for service-connected disabilities pertaining to the campaigns.