Lyubov Brezhneva

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Lyubov Yakovlevna Brezhneva (Russian: Любовь Яковлевна Брежнева) was a niece of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (an illegitimate but acknowledged daughter of Leonid's brother, Yakov Brezhnev). She was hounded by the KGB for many reasons including being somewhat liberal in her political philosophy and for being in love with a soldier from East Germany.

She wrote a book about her experience called The World I Left Behind. (Russian: Племяница Генсека) She describes the hypocrisy of the Soviet system from the point of view of a member of the privileged elite. However she also says that they were also prisoners of the system.

She begged her father to protect her from the KGB, but he could do nothing and eventually the KGB beat her so severely as to cause a miscarriage.

She described the two-tier system of shops and other goods that were available to members of the Soviet elite, in contrast with the barren shops available for the ordinary person. She described the aimless job she worked at an office where rooms full of people had nothing to do but file their fingernails. Some of her friends went off to work in hard labor simply because they could not stand being part of the system.

She found a new boyfriend. She later fled to a Soviet satellite state and from there to the United States where she lives to this day.

External links

• Review of her book (English)
• Interview with Lyubov Brezhneva (Russian)

v · d · eHistory of the Soviet Union (1964–1982) and the Era of Stagnation Political events 1964–1982: Collectivity of leadership · Glassboro Summit Conference · Prague Spring · Invasion of Czechoslovakia · Brezhnev Doctrine · Brezhnev assassination attempt · Sino–Soviet border conflict · Détente  · Helsinki Accords  · 1977 Soviet Constitution · Soviet war in Afghanistan · 1980 Summer Olympics · Soviet reaction to the Polish crisis · Exercise Zapad · Death and funeral of Leonid Brezhnev · Legacy of Leonid Brezhnev 1982–1985: RYAN · Korean Air Lines Flight 007 · Able Archer 83 · 1984 Summer Olympics boycott and the Friendship Games Politburo members 1960s · 1970s · 1980s Aliyev · Andropov · Brezhnev · Chebrikov · Chernenko · Demichev · Dolgikh · Gorbachev · Grechko · Grishin · Gromyko · Kirilenko · Kiselyov · Konayev · Kosygin · Kulakov · Kuznetsov · Masherov · Mazurov · Mikoyan · Mzhavanadze · Pelše · Podgorny · Polyansky · Ponomarev · Rashidov · Romanov · Shcherbytsky · Shelepin · Shelest · Shevardnadze · Shvernik · Solomentsev · Suslov · Tikhonov  · Ustinov · Voronov · Vorotnikov Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev (Troika: Brezhnev · Kosygin · Podgorny) · Yuri Andropov · Konstantin Chernenko · Collective leadership National Economy Era of Stagnation: 1965 reform · 1973 reform · 1979 reform · Food Programme · 1984 reform Five-Year Plans: 8th Plan · 9th Plan · 10th Plan · 11th Plan Government Cabinets: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th Brezhnev's family Churbanov (son-in-law) · Galina (daughter) · Lyubov (niece) · Viktoria (wife) · Yakov (brother)  · Yuri (son) Soviet Union