Viktoria Petrovna Brezhneva (russian: Виктория Петровна Брежнева, link=no, , Denisova, Дени́сова, ; 11 December 1908 – 5 July 1995) was the wife of

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

politician and longtime

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet Union, Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Gener ...

. She was the

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

Yuri Brezhnev Yuri Leonidovich Brezhnev (russian: Юрий Леонидович Брежнев, link=no; 31 March 1933 – 3 August 2013) was a Soviet politician and the son of Soviet politician and longtime General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and Viktoria Den ...

and

Galina Brezhneva Galina Leonidovna Brezhneva (russian: Галина Леонидовна Брежнева, link=no; 18 April 1929 – 30 June 1998) was the daughter of Soviet politician and longtime General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and Viktoria Brezhneva. Li ...

Biography

She was born in

Belgorod Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics The population of Be ...

in 1908 as Viktoria Petrovna Denisova (Дени́сова). It is claimed by historian Robert Service that she was of Jewish ancestry but Denisova herself has denied having any Jewish ancestry. She met

in 1926 and they married in 1928. The following year, Viktoria gave birth to their first child,

Galina Galina, Halyna, or Halina (russian: Галина; from Greek ''γαλήνη'' "Serenity") is an East Slavic feminine given name, also popular in Bulgaria and Slovenia during the period of Soviet influence. Galina is the standard transliteration fr ...

. Four years later, their second child,

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

, was born. Viktoria's relationship with Brezhnev was described as "old fashioned" and one that "without exaggeration

ould Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable p ...

be called gentle". According to the memoirs of Brezhnev's relatives, Viktoria encouraged Brezhnev's materialistic outlook. During Brezhnev's General Secretaryship, Viktoria remained at the sidelines; she did not like attracting public attention. Her last appearance in public was at Brezhnev's state funeral in 1982. Following the death of Brezhnev, Viktoria lived on for another 13 years, dying after struggling for several years with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

in 1995. She lived in Brezhnev's old apartment for the remainder of her life. Her daughter, Galina, did not attend the funeral although the rest of the family did.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brezhneva, Viktoria 1908 births 1995 deaths People from Belgorod People from Belgorodsky Uyezd

Viktoria Brezhneva Viktoria Petrovna Brezhneva (russian: Виктория Петровна Брежнева, link=no, , Denisova, Дени́сова, ; 11 December 1908 – 5 July 1995) was the wife of Soviet politician and longtime General Secretary Leonid Brezhn ...

Soviet women Spouses of Russian and Soviet national leaders Deaths from diabetes Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery