25 Facts About Galina Brezhneva

Galina Leonidovna Brezhneva was the daughter of Soviet politician and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev, and his wife, Viktoria Brezhneva.

Galina Brezhneva was born on 18 April 1929 in Sverdlovsk, Russia, the first child of Leonid Brezhnev and Viktoriya Petrovna Denisova.

At the time he was working as a land manager for the Party and Galina Brezhneva was a year old, the family moved in with Galina Brezhneva's paternal grandparents on the Pelina street in Kamenskoye.

Galina Brezhneva's father, being a student, was then granted student housing where, in 1933, Galina's younger brother, Yuri, was born.

Between supporting his family and his obligations to the Party, Galina Brezhneva's father was often away from home and rarely saw his family.

Galina Brezhneva flew to Dnepropetrovsk to fetch his family and they settled in Chernovtsy before moving to Zaporizhzhia, where Galina would attend school and graduate in 1947.

Galina Brezhneva began pursuing a history degree in Dnepropetrovsk, but later abandoned her studies, instead joining her parents in Kishinev in 1951.

Galina Brezhneva subsequently enrolled at Chisinau State University and began studying literature and philosophy, ultimately earning her degree.

Galina Brezhneva married for the first time to circus artist, Yevgeny Timofeyevich Milaev in 1951.

Since Galina Brezhneva's father loved the circus the family went to many of the performances.

Galina Brezhneva was married briefly to Igor Kio, a union that lasted only ten days.

Galina Brezhneva wanted to arrange a marriage for her after having her second marriage annulled.

Galina Brezhneva nonetheless made a public comeback during Konstantin Chernenko's short rule and appeared in a conference commemorating International Women's Day.

Galina Brezhneva married for a fourth and final time at the age of 64, to a 29-year-old man.

Historian Larisa Vasil'eva wrote in her book that "Galina Brezhneva was an all-too-typical product of what came to be known as the Era of Stagnation".

Galina Brezhneva was a heavy drinker and was known to be heavy-tempered.

Galina Brezhneva was promiscuous and had little self-discipline, and had a seemingly natural tendency toward self-gratification.

Galina Brezhneva was known for her passion for jewellery and diamonds.

Why and how Galina Brezhneva received her diamonds was unknown to the majority at the time, though according to a former director of Yuvelirtorg, the state-run jewellery company in the USSR, all jewelry and valuables seized from criminals were given to members of the nomenklatura.

Galina Brezhneva then demanded the two relics to be given to her as a gift.

Galina Brezhneva said once to a party colleague that "The world respects you, but your own family causes you pain".

At the height of perestroika, a reform initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, many of the rumours about Galina Brezhneva became increasingly wild and questionable; new details and information, possibly apocryphal, were increasingly included in the rumours.

In January 1982, as part of Andropov's anti-corruption campaign while Leonid Brezhnev was still alive, several prominent jewellery smugglers who all had links with Galina Brezhneva were arrested, some of them even receiving the death sentence.

Galina Brezhneva was detained by the authorities, being summoned in one instance to the KGB headquarters for questioning.

Galina Brezhneva's being the daughter of Leonid Brezhnev resulted in dismissal of the charges against her; she was internally exiled by the Andropov administration.