Leonid Brezhnev led the former Soviet Union as general secretary of the Communist Party until 1982. But like most Russian apparatchiks who excessively smoked, drank, and gained weight, Brezhnev aged prematurely. Also like them, his disabilities never led to his abdication.
By Brezhnev’s late 60s and early 70s, he was too ill to travel abroad or make public appearances. Indeed, his debility left the Soviet Union without a real leader for the final six or seven years of his tenure.
Brezhnev got away with it because the Soviet state-controlled media doctored photos and videos to attest to his supposedly vigorous health and constant hands-on involvement.
“Journalists” sent out false communiques. They spun narratives that Brezhnev was robust, hale, and working long hours on behalf of the Russian people. Any dissenting journalists who sought to report the true, sad…
