Andropov's conspiracy or a fate written in the stars: Were the injuries Brezhnev sustained in Tashkent the cause of his death?

Andropov's conspiracy or a decree of fate: Were the injuries sustained in Tashkent the cause of Brezhnev's death?

In the 1970s and 1980s, agriculture and industry developed rapidly in Uzbekistan. Deserts were reclaimed, and large industrial enterprises were established.

As a result, this attracted the attention of officials in Moscow, and Leonid Brezhnev, who led the USSR at the time, visited Tashkent several times.

One such trip, made in 1982, left a severe mark on Brezhnev's life and, in high probability, caused his death.

On March 23, 1982, Leonid Brezhnev arrived in Tashkent. During the visit, he was scheduled to visit a number of places, including the Tashkent Aircraft Production Association, and ultimately present the next Order of Lenin to Uzbekistan at a ceremonial meeting.

Great preparations were made at the Tashkent Aircraft Association to welcome the distinguished guest. Everything was cleaned and brought to order.

When the leader of the USSR arrived at the association, he was taken into a large hangar where Il-76 aircraft were being assembled. In addition to officials, many workers were present there. To see Brezhnev up close, factory workers positioned themselves on platforms, stairs, and gantries between the aircraft.

As the delegation accompanied by Brezhnev and Sharof Rashidov was passing through the assembly shop, a cracking sound was heard. Unable to bear the weight of the people, a large metal structure collapsed onto Brezhnev, Rashidov, and their bodyguards.

At that moment, a metal piece of the structure struck Brezhnev's shoulder, and the Soviet leader fell down. Because the unpleasant incident occurred in a split second, the guards were caught off guard, and as a result, Brezhnev was injured. By a lucky coincidence, nothing happened to Rashidov at that time.

"Suddenly, a terrible scream and panic arose. We were around the General Secretary. Metal and wood fell straight onto us. I tried to cover Brezhnev with my own body, but the heavy structure pinned his right side down. Dust and panic reigned in the factory shop. We immediately pulled Brezhnev out from under the heavy pieces of metal and wood. He was conscious, but severely dazed and suffering from pain."

After the incident, Brezhnev's guards immediately took him to the government residence in Durmon.

"When Brezhnev was brought to the residence in Durmon, he was in a state of severe shock. He was immediately given strong painkiller and sedative injections. The examination revealed that his right collarbone was broken and the bones were displaced.

Worst of all, his overall health was extremely fragile — due to his heart condition and age, surgery was impossible. We were forced to limit ourselves to relieving the pain and keeping the broken area immobile. But he suffered greatly from the pain."

When they wanted to take Brezhnev to the Kremlin hospital in Moscow at that time, the Soviet leader did not agree to this. Despite being injured, he stayed in Tashkent for two more days and participated in the remainder of the scheduled events. On March 24, he presented the Order of Lenin to Uzbekistan.

Toward the end of the event held on March 25, Brezhnev's condition deteriorated, and he lost consciousness. The Soviet leader was urgently taken to Moscow.

As soon as Brezhnev returned to Moscow, he was taken directly from the airport to the Kremlin hospital and underwent medical examinations. Then treatment began.

"Brezhnev's right collarbone was broken, and bone fragments were displaced. For such an elderly patient in a serious general condition, this was considered a dangerous injury. Surgery was very risky because he might not have survived the anesthesia."

The fact that the Soviet leader was injured in Tashkent and narrowly escaped death was hidden from the public in the USSR. This was not reported anywhere. However, the Western press reported that the Soviet leader's health had seriously deteriorated during his Tashkent trip and that he was hospitalized in Moscow.

After returning to Moscow, Brezhnev vanished from public view for nearly a month. During this period, he received treatment, and after recovering slightly, he resumed his work activities. He made his first appearance after the Tashkent incident on April 22 at the celebrations marking the 112th anniversary of Lenin's birth.

As contemporaries later recalled, he appeared quite thin at the time. After this appearance, people who had believed various rumors came to the conclusion that "Brezhnev is alive and still leading the USSR."

Starting in May 1982, Brezhnev began working. However, his health and physical condition were not good. For this reason, he was unable to attend meetings with various foreign delegations on several occasions. Scheduled state visits to foreign countries were canceled.

By autumn, Brezhnev's health had recovered slightly, and he began participating in official events. Brezhnev made his final public appearance on November 7, 1982, at festive events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the October Revolution. A few days later, he died.

As Brezhnev's health deteriorated following his visit to Tashkent, the question of who would succeed him in the Kremlin became an urgent issue. During this process, former KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov seized the initiative.

On May 26, 1982, Andropov unexpectedly resigned from the post of KGB chairman and took up the post of Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Although this position was actually quite small compared to the position of KGB chief, it was an important step taken toward seizing the leadership of the country.

On November 10, 1982, Brezhnev died. This was announced to the public on November 11, and he was buried on November 15. Andropov did not even wait for the end of Brezhnev's funeral and, on November 12, took up the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, becoming the leader of the USSR.

During the Soviet era, sensational events were hidden from the public, and documents related to them were kept secret. In 1990-1991, on the eve of the dissolution of the USSR and for a period thereafter, archives were opened, and many cases were exposed. It was then that rumors emerged suggesting that Brezhnev did not die a natural death and that Andropov assassinated him.

Brezhnev, who was 75 years old, was often ill due to old age. However, his health was always under the supervision of a group consisting of the country's best doctors. When Brezhnev died under suspicious circumstances at his Zarechye residence near Moscow, no doctors were present there.

Even after the guards of the residence reported that the Soviet leader's condition had worsened, the doctors arrived with a significant delay (by which time he had already died).

Most historians and living witnesses to the events that took place in the Kremlin say that Brezhnev did not die a natural death on November 10, but that Andropov's close associates assassinated him.

Such rumors did not spread for no reason. The thing is, in mid-October 1982, Brezhnev told Ivan Kapitonov, Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, that he would resign in mid-November and appoint Vladimir Shcherbitsky, who was leading Ukraine at the time, in his place. In turn, Kapitonov passed this conversation on to Andropov. After that, Andropov set out to get rid of Brezhnev as quickly as possible by any means necessary.

Other sources state that Andropov won over the doctors on duty near Brezhnev and kept them somewhat away from the Soviet leader, as a result of which Brezhnev died due to the lack of timely medical assistance.

There are also those who say that the cause of Brezhnev's death was the injury he received in Tashkent. However, most people do not believe that the injury in Tashkent was the cause of the Soviet leader's death. This is because by autumn, Brezhnev had partially recovered his health and gained considerable strength.

The official medical report issued regarding Brezhnev's death cited sudden cardiac arrest against the background of severe chronic cardiovascular diseases as the cause of his death.

Overall, it is close to the truth that Brezhnev died a natural death. This is because he had suffered several heart attacks during his life and experienced a severe stroke in 1976. At that time, doctors brought him back from a state of clinical death.

After that, until the end of his life, Brezhnev consumed sedatives and sleeping pills in excessive amounts. This further weakened his central nervous system and cardiac function.

"I do not believe that Andropov caused physical harm to Brezhnev. But he 'killed' Brezhnev morally. Andropov deliberately conveyed to Brezhnev scandals involving his closest friend, Minister of Internal Affairs Shcholokov, and his daughter Galina. After every such conversation, Brezhnev's condition deteriorated sharply, and he fell into depression. Andropov knew very well that he was fading mentally and physically."

In conclusion, Brezhnev had sufficient health problems. The injuries in Tashkent and Andropov's ambition to seize power exacerbated these problems and partially contributed to the Soviet leader's death.