Yuri Churbanov and his women. Why was Brezhnev's son-in-law sent to the dock? How many years did he sit in the prison of chumps

October 10, 2013 at the Mitinsky cemetery quietly and modestly buried Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov. The death of this man, whose name once thundered throughout the country, was learned almost by accident.

In the 1970s and 80s, a lot was said about Churbanov and his wife - first in a whisper in the kitchens, then loudly from the pages of central newspapers. Still, because his wife was Galina Leonidovna Brezhneva — beloved daughter of the powerful Soviet general secretary.

Their marriage lasted 19 years. There was a lot of gossip about them, but what the relationship really was, these couples, only they knew. They said about Galina that she did not love Yuri and her father forced her marriage. They said about Yuri that he started a relationship with Galina solely for the sake of his career.

They really were very different. Yuri Churbanov was born in Moscow in November 1936. After school, he went to a vocational school, then became a fitter at the Znamya Truda plant. From there he moved along the Komsomol line - he was an instructor in the Leningrad district committee of the Komsomol. After graduating from the law faculty of Moscow State University, he ended up in the Central Committee of the Komsomol, where he became the head of the department. In 1967, he was sent from the Komsomol to work in the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he became deputy head of the political department of the Main Directorate of Correctional Labor Institutions of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

A successful career for an official in the Soviet system, but no higher rises were foreseen. And somehow it did not work out with family life - Churbanov did not like to talk about his first marriage, although he had two children in it. He only remembered that the relationship with his first wife cracked long before meeting with Galina.

Daughter is like a headache

Galina Brezhneva was born in 1929 in Sverdlovsk. The position of the daughter of a major Soviet official dictated a certain framework of behavior that Galya did not want to reckon with. In her youth, she was a beauty who enjoyed wild success with men. A frenzied temperament was attached to natural external data, which constantly pushed Galina to rash acts. After school, she announced to her parents that she was going to become an actress, but her father opposed this. This prohibition Galina could not forgive him throughout her life.

He married a circus performer Evgeniya Milayeva, who was almost 20 years older than her, and even worked with him for some time.

Leonid Brezhnev was ready to put up with such a son-in-law, but Galina and this was not enough - she twisted novels with other men, bringing her father to white heat.

Marriage to a young illusionist Igor Kio lasted only 10 days - Brezhnev found out about this, gave the order to take away the passports from a couple and make sure that there was not even a mention of their marriage.

Galina Brezhneva constantly rotated in the society of artists, artists, musicians, helping many, using the name of her father for this, who had already become the head of state by that time.

Myself Leonid Brezhnev in conversations with those close to him, he bitterly joked: with one eye he had to follow the country, and with the other - for his daughter.

Wife and career to boot

When Yuri met Galina, he was 34 years old, she was 41. Despite her age, she remained attractive.

They met in Old New Year when Churbanov and a friend went to the restaurant of the Central House of Architects to drink in honor of the holiday. In the back of the hall, a noisy company was walking, among which Yuri recognized Igor Shchelokov, the son of the almighty head of the Brezhnev Ministry of Internal Affairs. Shchelokov called Churbanov to his table. One of the participants in the fun was Galina Brezhneva.

He plucked up the courage to ask her for her phone, but he didn't. Galina called herself, and then picked him up in a Volga with a personal driver. They went to the famous Moscow restaurant "Aragvi".

The stormy romance lasted three months. When Galina announced to her father that she was getting married, he anxiously asked: for whom this time? Upon learning who the son-in-law was, the Secretary General breathed a sigh of relief. Police Colonel Churbanov seemed to him a more reliable person than any actor or circus performer. Leonid Ilyich hoped that Yuri would make Galina come to her senses.

The wedding was held at the Secretary General's dacha in Zaryadye, gathering only relatives and close friends. The gift for the wedding was an apartment in a building on Bolshaya Bronnaya Street.

From that moment on, the career of Yuri Churbanov went up - the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a close friend of Leonid Brezhnev took patronage over him Nikolai Shchelokov.

Yuri Churbanov (left), Galina Brezhneva and Nikolai Shchelokov. Photo: RIA Novosti / Yuri Somov

In 1974, Churbanov became a major general, three years later - a lieutenant general, and in 1981 - a colonel general. In 1980, he was appointed first deputy head of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, that is, the second person after Shchelokov. At the same time, along the party line, he advanced to a candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

Already at the time new Russia Churbanov admitted that in those years he lived as under communism, he received a salary more than Brezhnev himself. Leonid Ilyich helped Yuri and Galina with expensive purchases.

Beginning of the End

That's just the hopes of the Secretary General, Yuri did not justify - he failed to soften the temperament of his wife. Soon Galina was again spun into the whirlpool of bohemian life, and the already ill Leonid Ilyich clutched at his heart, learning about his daughter's next trick.

Perhaps if Yuri and Galina had common children, everything would have turned out differently. But it didn't work out.

Churbanov disappeared at work for 10-11 hours, and his wife, although she held formal positions, by and large continued to lead a “bohemian life”.

Different things are said about the professional qualities of Yuri Churbanov. Perhaps the post of deputy minister was too high for him, but he was not an absolute mediocrity and ignoramus either. Tried to work to the best of my ability, free time dared new boyfriends from his wife as best he could. Because of love or fear for a career - who can say for sure now?

November 10, 1982 Leonid Brezhnev died. For Galina and Yuri, this was the beginning of the end. In the political struggle, the new leaders set about "cleansing" the "Brezhnev guards".

Cornered, removed from office and deprived of awards, in December 1984, Churbanov's boss, Nikolai Shchelokov, committed suicide.

Prison and divorce

Yuri himself was simply demoted. His hour will come in 1987, when "Brezhnev's son-in-law" will be arrested in the so-called "cotton case."

Churbanov was accused of corruption, speaking of astronomical bribes, but most of the episodes could not be proven.

Yuri Churbanov (right) in the dock, September 5, 1988. Photo: RIA Novosti / Yuri Abramochkin

But even what was left dragged on for 12 years in prison with deprivation of title, awards and confiscation of property.

Yuri Churbanov, "Brezhnev's son-in-law", turned out to be almost the only one of the major officials of the Brezhnev era who really went to the bunk.

He was released on parole in 1993. Galina Brezhneva in 1990, through the court, managed to return the property confiscated during the arrest of Churbanov. But while he was in prison, they divorced.

Churbanov did not worry and did not suffer - love ended, nothing was left. He married another, old acquaintance who worked at Moscow State University.

Long-standing ties helped in a new life - got a decent job, did not live in poverty. For journalists, he became a "living witness to the era", often spoke in the press, talking about Brezhnev and Shchelokov.

This is how the glory of the world passes

The untold wealth of the General Secretary's family turned out to be dust in the new era. The "treasures of Galina Brezhneva", about which the entire Soviet Union whispered, cannot be compared with the fortunes of the current masters of life.

What was left quickly disappeared. The aging daughter of the Secretary General turned out to be of no use to anyone. Galina became addicted to alcohol. Once, foreign journalists got her drunk and filmed a story, capturing a miserable likeness of the former beauty, whose patronage was sought best artists countries.

Galina's condition worsened, and as a result, her daughter sent her to a psychiatric clinic.

In the psychiatric hospital number two named after Kerbikov, she passed away on June 30, 1998 at the age of 69. Galina Brezhnev was buried on Novodevichy cemetery next to mother.

The age difference between Yuri and Galina was seven years. Exactly seven years after his death ex-wife Yuri Churbanov was struck by the first stroke. Three years later, a second followed.

In the last five years of his life, he practically did not leave the apartment. They began to forget about him. The wife, who now supported both of them, was at work all day, and a nurse remained with Yuri Churbanov.

His condition worsened more and more. What was he thinking about during recent months? Did he remember Galina, did he remember the time of his power, or, on the contrary, did he not want to think about what was left in that now infinitely distant life?

Sic transit gloria mundi - "Thus passes worldly glory." Yuri Churbanov and Galina Brezhneva fully understood the meaning of these words.

The great Soviet era, the time of beautiful slogans and historical accomplishments, gave rise to a whole generation of "random" people, favored by the attention and endowed with power by the leaders of the country and becoming outcasts of society after the change of the ruling "top", persecuted by the new "masters" of life, forcing them to answer for the sins of their own. patrons. Such was Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov, a man abandoned by fate to the very top, and then mercilessly thrown down from there. general public in Soviet time he was well known as the "number one son-in-law" Soviet Union, husband of the daughter of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev himself. However, after the death of his famous father-in-law, Churbanov fell out of favor, becoming a kind of scapegoat for the Gorbachev cabinet. But the “guilt” of this man, perhaps, consisted only in the fact that he chose the “wrong” woman. Or maybe, on the contrary, he found just what he was striving for? After all, the rapid career growth of Yuri Mikhailovich is connected precisely with his proximity to the head of state. However, in fairness, it should be noted that even before meeting Galina Brezhneva, his life was filled with many interesting events and significant achievements that Yuri Mikhailovich achieved on his own, thanks to his intelligence and patience.

Yuri Churbanov was born in the capital of Russia on November 11, 1936 and was the eldest child in Soviet family with three children. The boy's father was a party worker and headed the Timiryazevsky District Executive Committee of Moscow. After the end of the 706th high school, located in the Leningradsky district of the capital, at the insistence of his father, the young man entered a vocational school, and then got a job at the Znamya Truda plant as an assembly fitter of aviation components.

A handsome and intelligent guy immediately became popular in the team, soon Yuri was elected secretary of the Komsomol organization of the plant, and then appointed to the post of instructor of the Leningrad district committee of the Komsomol. At the age of twenty-five, Yuri Churbanov married Tamara Valtseferova, with whom he had two children. In parallel with the main work, the young father studied in absentia at the Faculty of Law of the country's main university, Moscow State University. Lomonosov, who successfully graduated in 1964. Work as the head of the department of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League from 1964 to 1967 and the subsequent transition to serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs took him a lot of time, and therefore family life cracked. Even close friends subsequently, Yuri Mikhailovich did not like to tell the reasons for the collapse of his first marriage.

In 1967, Churbanov was appointed to the post of deputy head of the political department in the Main Directorate of ITU (corrective labor institutions) of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. In this capacity, Yuri Mikhailovich worked until 1971. In the same period, he was advanced to the rank of colonel. It would seem that everything is working out for him as well as possible, except for a ruined marriage. And then on his way he met the attractive, and most importantly, promising daughter of Leonid Ilyich Galina. Which of these two components attracted the thirty-four-year-old Churbanov more in the forty-one-year-old daughter of the General Secretary, only he himself could tell.

Herself fateful meeting took place in the restaurant of the Moscow House of Architects on Shchusev Street (Garnet Lane), where Yuri Churbanov and his friend went to celebrate the Old New Year. After some time, in the back of the hall, he noticed a small company sitting at the same table. Some of them (Igor Shchelokov, the son of the Minister of Internal Affairs, as well as his wife Nonna), he knew well. Churbanov approached them to greet them and was introduced to the rest of the company. Among them was the daughter of the General Secretary, Galina Leonidovna. After they met, Brezhneva herself made an appointment with Yuri Mikhailovich.

Just a week later, Galina Leonidovna invited her new admirer to her parents' house and introduced the lieutenant colonel to her father. It should be noted that the daughter's previous hobbies did not please Brezhnev at all. She, of course, was not a fantastic beauty, but she knew how to effectively present herself and always enjoyed success with young people. However, her extreme windiness and inconstancy was noted. Numerous novels, which did not at all correspond to the image of a respectable offspring of a major Soviet official, greatly upset the Secretary General. Apologizing for his negligent daughter, Leonid Ilyich liked to say that with one eye he had to follow the state, and with the other - for Galina, who from time to time unexpectedly throws him various "surprises".

She extremely upset her father with her first marriage, choosing as her wife an ordinary circus performer who was twenty years older than the girl. In addition, in retaliation to Brezhnev, who imposed a ban on her desire to become an actress expressed after school, Galina began to work with her new husband in the circus! After the father almost came to terms with his daughter's trick, she began to start new demonstrative and stormy novels, which simply brought Brezhnev to white heat. When the father found out about Galina's next marriage, this time with the illusionist Igor Kio (which, by the way, lasted only nine days), he gave the order to completely cancel the data on the conclusion of this union, taking away the passports from the couple in love.

And finally, when the daughter brought into the house a decent, from the point of view of the Secretary General, a man, a man who had taken place in life, Brezhnev was extremely pleased. And therefore, three months later, when she announced her intention to remarry, Leonid Ilyich did not put up any obstacles, hoping that her daughter would finally come to her senses and settle down. lavish wedding, to which only the closest friends and relatives were invited, took a walk at Brezhnev's dacha in Zaryadye, and as a wedding gift, the main parent presented the young people with an apartment on Bolshaya Bronnaya.

Of course, a close relationship with the head of state has borne fruit. Churbanov's career began to rapidly unwind, his patron and friend was now Nikolai Shchelokov himself, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. First of all, in 1971, “son-in-law number one” was appointed deputy head of the Political Directorate internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he worked until 1975. After that, Churbanov became the head of the same department. In 1974, Yuri Mikhailovich received the rank of major general, and three years later - lieutenant general. Already in 1977, Shchelokov, with the assistance of Brezhnev, appointed Churbanov to the post of his deputy, and in February 1980, Yuri Mikhailovich moved to the post of First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Oddly enough, but Yuri's only problem during this period of his life was his wife, who constantly tried to satisfy her ebullient temperament, and also began to abuse alcohol. Their marriage lasted a long nineteen years, but Yuri and Galina did not seem to become truly close people. Many said that if the spouses had common children, everything could turn out differently, but, alas .... All her time, despite the fictitious positions that Galina Leonidovna occupied according to the documents, she devoted herself to a bohemian life among artists and artists, leading a completely careless and non-committal existence. Trying to realize himself to the best of his ability and ability in the most responsible positions entrusted to him, Churbanov often had to catch his wife from boyfriends and bring her to her senses after a hard day.

During the Olympics in Moscow, Churbanov was awarded the State Prize for his huge contribution to ensuring order in Olympic Games ah, and the next year he became a colonel general. In addition to the main position, Yuri Mikhailovich was also elected a deputy of the Supreme Council, a candidate member of the Central Committee and a member of the Central Audit Commission of the Communist Party. It can be said that he reached the heights of the political Olympus, but the problem was that his ascent coincided with the decline of the Land of Soviets as a whole. The Brezhnev era, which had lasted for many years, was coming to an end. In those years, against the background of the absence of unemployment, the workers of most enterprises simply sat out their working day, and in Soviet stores the counters resembled refrigerators with the notorious mouse, despite the fact that collective farms and state farms reported on new achievements and overfulfillment of all set plans. The Union republics reported on the volume of harvests, which simply could not be, but no one paid attention to such trifles, because awards and titles were handed out right and left. Against the general "gray" background, the state and party elite stood out strongly, which was provided by special distributors of goods and products. A significant piece of the pie also went to Churbanov, who drove a Mercedes car with several numbers in the trunk. As Galina Leonidovna later told the investigation, this car was presented to the General Secretary by Erich Honecker himself (the long-term leader of the GDR), and he, in a friendly manner, handed it over to his beloved son-in-law.

Life for Yuri Mikhailovich changed dramatically after November 10, 1982, when the "dear" Leonid Ilyich died, and Yuri Andropov, who came to power, decided to initiate a number of demonstrative "anti-corruption cases." It was interesting that the defendants in these cases were mainly people from the environment of the former Secretary General. In addition, Churbanov's immediate superior, Shchelokov, was a longtime opponent of the new "lord" of the state.

Five days after Brezhnev's death, Andropov summoned Yuri Mikhailovich to his place and unequivocally let him know that he would not carry out reprisals against him and his family. Less fortunate was the head of Churbanov, who, after being removed from his ministerial post (two days after the death of Leonid Ilyich) and being deprived of all awards, could not withstand the psychological pressure and committed suicide by shooting himself from a hunting rifle on December 13, 1984. Churbanov was initially only demoted, but this situation did not last long. In March 1985, along with the newly minted General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, another wave of changes and purges came. A few months later, Yuri Mikhailovich was removed from the post of First Deputy Minister and appointed to a much less prestigious position of deputy head of the Main Directorate of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And less than a year later, Churbanov was dismissed, indicating the reason for the dismissal "for seniority." Almost at the same time, surveillance was established over the son-in-law of the former General Secretary, and on January 14, 1987, he was arrested as a defendant in the "Uzbek" case.

“Khlopkovym” or “Uzbek case” called a whole series of criminal cases on large-scale corruption and economic crimes in the Uzbek SSR. The investigation was conducted from the late 1970s until 1989 and caused a major public outcry in the Soviet Union. In total, more than eight hundred criminal cases were initiated, in which more than four thousand people were imprisoned for various periods. A number of “high-profile” arrests were made, among others, the minister of the cotton-cleaning industry of Uzbekistan was convicted (the death penalty), the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the republic, the secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan, the first secretaries of a number of regional committees. All of them were accused of embezzlement, bribes, postscripts, despite the fact that many were not even connected with the cotton industry. Some of the defendants in the case committed suicide.

Churbanov's arrest took place right in the office of German Karakozov, head of the investigative unit of the Prosecutor General's Office. The Rolex donated by Brezhnev, suspenders and tie were removed from Yuri Mikhailovich, and the laces were pulled out of his shoes. All the way to the isolation ward, he had to support his falling trousers with his hands. While in the Lefortovo chambers, Churbanov wrote complaints. He wrote until an old acquaintance, the chairman of the KGB, Viktor Chebrikov, came to visit him. He told him: “You, Yura, know the rules of the game like no one else. The decision to arrest was taken by the Politburo, and you know very well that our Politburo is not mistaken.”

They tried to accuse Churbanov of corruption, accusing him of receiving astronomical amounts of money, but most of the episodes in his case could not be proved. The investigators also made no secret of the fact that Yuri was just a bargaining chip in the game of the new "ruler" who was eager for demonstrative changes. They persuaded him to confess everything, so that it would not get worse, so that they would not be given the highest measure .... Churbanov knew the Soviet system: both the judiciary and the penal system. I remembered how at one time Khrushchev shot the money changers, despite the fact that the laws are not retroactive. As a result, he admitted only three episodes: receiving as a bribe an Uzbek robe and skullcap with gold embroidery found at his dacha, an expensive coffee set, and also money in the amount of ninety thousand rubles (although the initial amount was one and a half million).

At the end of a high-profile trial that took place from September 5 to December 31, 1988, he was convicted by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court and sentenced to twelve years in prison with confiscation of all property. Also, in accordance with the verdict, Churbanov was deprived of awards (the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Star and fourteen more medals) and his military rank. From "son-in-law number one" he instantly turned into "prisoner number one." He turned out to be the only major official from the time of the "great stagnation" who ended up in prison. Churbanov did not have to serve a full term; in 1993, he was released on parole.

From a conversation with Vladimir Kalinichenko, a former investigator for especially important cases under the Prosecutor General: “I remember very well the whipping up of passions around Yuri Churbanov. Karakozov (investigator for especially important cases) consulted with me: to arrest or not? I said that I consider this a wrong decision - there is less real guilt than political engagement. Nevertheless, Churbanov was arrested. Initially, there were more than a hundred cases of his criminal activities, mostly bribes. When the case was completed, Vyacheslav Mirtov (investigator for especially important cases) left about ten episodes, the rest, as not proven and not taking place, disappeared.

During the imprisonment of Yuri Mikhailovich, and he was sent to serve his sentence in a colony for former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Nizhny Tagil (where he made aluminum vases for ice cream), Galina Brezhneva, taking advantage of the situation, filed for a divorce. In 1990, she even managed to return the property confiscated during the arrest of her husband. Only after his release, Yuri Churbanov found out that Galina had broken up with him, and many of those who allegedly brought him bribes had long been acquitted. On the fifth day after his return, Churbanov came to his wife in his old house. After that, he said: “No joy, no tears, no kisses, no emotions, just an ordinary meeting.”

After the camp, Yuri Mikhailovich lived for some time with his sister Svetlana. whole year she put Churbanov on his feet. After six years in prison, he began to experience the first serious health problems in his life. In 1994 he married his old friend Lyudmila Kuznetsova, a calm, sincere and intelligent woman who worked at that time at Moscow State University. It is safe to say that, despite previous unsuccessful marriages, Yuri Mikhailovich found his happiness with her.

Many friends turned their backs on him. Of the remaining comrades was Vladimir Resin, who became the first deputy mayor of Moscow. In 1997, he hired Churbanov as the head of the security service of the Rosshtern monopoly company, which produced almost all of the capital's cement. And in 1999 he was elected to the post of deputy president of the Spartak hockey club. Journalists did not allow Yuri Mikhailovich to pass, Churbanov often spoke to the press with stories about his test and boss, and was engaged in writing memoirs about a past era. With a bitter smile, Yuri told reporters that he dreams of living to the time when the authorities will sort out his case and return state awards.

Regarding his conclusion, Yuri Churbanov said the following: “See for yourself, I am the husband of my beloved and only daughter General Secretary. Power, more than enough opportunities! I was charged with Uzbek robes, a bundle of linoleum and, most importantly, bribes. I will say this: if I wanted something, it was enough just to say. The next day I had it! And no signatures. Do you think it was different for Gorbachev, for some of the top echelon leaders? Someone dealt with domestic issues himself, some wives, but most were provided by specially trained people. Why, in your opinion, was the Directorate of Affairs of the Central Committee of the CPSU created? And then everything depended only on the person. Some lost their heads from greed and permissiveness.

The fate of Galina Leonidovna was less successful. The remnants of his father's fortune quickly evaporated, and with them, numerous friends and admirers also disappeared. Eventually alcohol addiction no one needed an aged heiress brought her to a psychiatric clinic, where she died on June 30, 1998 at the age of sixty-nine. And seven years later, Churbanov's health, which had been crippled during his stay in prison, also began to falter. In 2005, he had his first stroke, and three years later - the second, after which he could no longer get out of bed.

The helpless, paralyzed Yuri Mikhailovich spent the last five long years of his life within the walls of his apartment. His third wife turned out to be capable of real self-sacrifice, tenderly and touchingly looked after him until last days life. She rarely spoke with the press, she did not like to give interviews. Yes, no one was interested in Churbanov's health, in last years the sick man was forgotten by everyone. He died on October 7, 2013. The modest funeral held on October 10 at the Mitinsky cemetery went almost unnoticed by the press and the public, which once again confirms the words of the wise about how quickly "worldly glory passes."

Already after the death of Yuri Mikhailovich, the deputies of the State Duma raised the issue of the need to rehabilitate Churbanov, noting that if we discard all the tinsel of the indicative political persecution of this historical figure, a significant contribution of this person to the formation and development of the services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the USSR remains on the surface.

The words of Boris Yeltsin about Yuri Churbanov, expressed by him in one interview: "A good man, he got hit for nothing."

I would like to end the article with the words of Irek Khisamiev, a retired police colonel, deputy chairman of the Council of Veterans of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan: “Today, on TV, almost daily they show huge boxes and bags of money that are confiscated from those who are equal in positions and ranks to Churbanov. They seize and seize, but there is no punishment .... Yuri Mikhailovich was a faithful assistant to the legendary Shchelokov - the Reformer with a capital letter. When others came to power and began to crack down on the old team, Nikolai Anisimovich, who lives according to the principle “I have the honor!”, Shot himself. And Churbanov was simply sent to prison for some embroidered Uzbek robes…. Believe me - instead of indiscriminately blaming him, you need to understand the inner tragedy of this person. You can’t treat your history like that…”

On the outskirts of Moscow, at the Mitinsky cemetery, without television cameras and the press, a once very powerful man was buried. Colonel General, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR and the first son-in-law of the country Yuri Churbanov. He...

On the outskirts of Moscow, at the Mitinsky cemetery, without television cameras and the press, a once very powerful man was buried. Colonel General, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR and the first son-in-law of the country Yuri Churbanov. He died a month before his 77th birthday...

Churbanov served as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR from 1977 to 1980. Since 1971 he has been married to Galina Brezhneva for whom this was the third marriage.

In 1987 - five years after the death of Leonid Brezhnev - Churbanov was arrested on charges of corruption in the so-called "cotton" (or "Uzbek") case.

In December 1988, Churbanov was sentenced to 12 years in prison. In 1990, Brezhnev filed for divorce from him and the division of property. Three years later, Churbanov was released on parole and soon married another woman.

In total, as part of the "cotton case" - a large-scale anti-corruption campaign launched in 1983 by the then new General Secretary Yuri Andropov - about 800 criminal cases were initiated, in which about 4 thousand defendants were convicted. They were accused of postscripts, bribes and embezzlement that took place in the cotton and other industries of the Uzbek SSR.

Moscow, 1988. Police Colonel General Yuri Churbanov during the announcement of the verdict.

In an interview, the former son-in-law of the Secretary General said:

Why do I need bribes? I got more money than the General Secretary! Leonid Ilyich had a salary of 800 rubles, but I, taking into account all the components, such as length of service, rank, etc., - 1100.

And also the "Kremlin". And privileges, shops that sold scarce goods at sparing prices. It was all part of the system.

Not to use it meant to be a black sheep, to risk causing, to put it mildly, a misunderstanding of others. Did I need it? Why did I admit several episodes with bribes? There is only one reason: the investigators quite seriously told me that if I did not take two or three episodes out of more than forty, then, as they say in the zone, “they would smear green on my forehead.” They shoot, that is ...

As Churbanov believed, he was tried not so much for real crimes, but for his connection with Brezhnev. The military collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR sentenced him to 12 years in prison. In 1993, he was released from prison on parole.

The marriage of Yuri Churbanov with the daughter of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Leonid Brezhnev was by no means cloudless. Galina Leonidovna was reputed to be especially fond of. She, like many people in power, was drawn to the world of art. Suffice it to recall how she married circus twice, first for Evgeny Milaev, then (only for 9 days) for the young Igor Kio. For several years, her relationship with the Bolshoi Ballet soloist Maris Liepa continued. But all this was before meeting Yuri Churbanov.

The biography of Yuri Churbanov, the future Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR and the son-in-law of the unforgettable Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, began quite in the spirit of those bygone times, in which calls for the construction of communism did not yet look as ridiculous as now, when history has clearly shown their emptiness and meaninglessness.

Komsomol youth

He was born on November 11, 1936 in Moscow, in the family of a high-ranking party functionary. However, after graduating from high school, he did not enter MGIMO or Moscow State University, as is now customary for children. the mighty of the world this, and, at the insistence of his father, became a student of a vocational school (vocational school), after which he worked at the Znamya Labor plant as an ordinary fitter. Thus, the first stage of the biography of Yuri Churbanov allowed him subsequently to say with good reason that his hands were accustomed to work.

However, he did not stay long in the assembly shop and soon, elected, or rather, appointed secretary of the Komsomol organization of the plant, said goodbye to working overalls forever. After a short time, the Znamya Truda enterprise itself remained only in memories, giving way to the district committee of the Komsomol, where Yuri got the position of an instructor.

Carier start

In 1961, the biography and personal life of Yuri Churbanov were noted important event─ he entered into his first marriage. His chosen one was Tamara Viktorovna Valtseferova, who gave her husband two children. At the same time, Yuri Mikhailovich was transferred to the Central Office of the Komsomol and, holding the post of head of one of the departments, entered the correspondence department of the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University. After graduating from it in 1964, he received a diploma, but even before that he went to work in the political bodies of the system of correctional labor institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where he very successfully moved up the career ladder. In 1971, he met already in the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The meeting that determined the future

Then, in January 1971, fate presented Churbanov with its main gift. In the restaurant hall, where he and his colleague celebrated the Old New Year, she brought him together with Galina Brezhneva, the daughter of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee himself. From this moment on, the biography of Yuri Churbanov becomes much more interesting.

In those years, he was a very imposing 35-year-old man, capable of turning the head even to a less sensitive woman than the 41-year-old Galina Leonidovna, known for her love of love. He invited her to a dance, and she herself made an appointment with him. This evening was the beginning of their stormy romance, and a week later she introduced Churbanov to her father, but not as a lover, but as a future groom.

Suitable Groom

It should be noted that by that time in the memory of Leonid Ilyich, the previous two very eccentric marriages of his daughter were still fresh. Her first husband was the circus acrobat-strongman Yevgeny Milaev, and the second was the illusionist Igor Kio. Moreover, if Milaev was 20 years older than her, then Kio was 18 years younger. Therefore, the attractive and very promising lieutenant colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs seemed to the General Secretary a suitable candidate for the position of another son-in-law.

Galina was only 6 years older than Yuri, which is quite bearable. In addition, Leonid Ilyich hoped that Churbanov would put an end to love affairs daughters, who, although not covered in the press, were an endless topic of conversation and, undoubtedly, cast a shadow on the family of the Secretary General.

Marriage and career rise

Hastily (while the iron is still hot), having filed a divorce from his wife, the young seducer entered into new marriage. Regarding the children, the biography of Yuri Churbanov says only that they stayed with their mother. Now it is difficult to say what role he played in their later life.

Of course, a close relationship with the head of state immediately bore fruit, because now the Minister of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs Nikolai Shchelokov became his personal friend and patron. At this stage, the biography of Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov was marked by a number of amazing career ups. Soon after the wedding, "son-in-law No. 1" ─ that's what the people called him - became the deputy head of the Political Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and a few years later his head.

A fly in the ointment

Accordingly, his positions grew and his titles. In 1974, he tried on the shoulder straps of a major general, and three years later he became a lieutenant general. Note that by that time Churbanov was a little over forty years old. He reached the peak of his career growth in February 1980, becoming a colonel general and, at the request of his father-in-law, received the post of First Deputy Minister of the Interior.

However, despite such a successful promotion, the life of Yuri Mikhailovich at that time was not at all cloudless, and it was Galina who overshadowed her. There is a lot of evidence from contemporaries that their marriage, which lasted 19 years, was by no means happy. The spoiled daughter of the General Secretary had previously become addicted to alcohol, and having had enough of her new spouse, she began to look for a way out for her irrepressible temperament on the side.

Formally, she was listed in some fairly high positions and received an appropriate salary, but in fact she did not appear in any institutions, but led a free and, as they say, bohemian life. Her constant surroundings were artists, artists, and sometimes black market dealers that flourished in the conditions of total Soviet shortages.

In this regard, one can only sympathize with her husband, who made every effort for self-realization in the high positions he held, but at the same time was sometimes forced to look for his missus in restaurants and, having accepted from the hands of another suitor, take him home to bring to life there. However, concluding this marriage, he knew what he was getting into. The year 1980 in the biography of Brezhnev's son-in-law Yuri Churbanov was marked by the receipt of the State Prize, which was awarded to him for his "huge contribution" to ensuring law and order and security during the Moscow Olympic Games. Then he was destined to rise to the heights of the political Olympus, becoming a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

Beginning of the End

Meanwhile, his ascent coincided with the period that is now commonly called the beginning of the collapse of the Land of Soviets. People of the older generation, no doubt, remember those times when the shop counters of even citizens accustomed to everything were striking in their wretchedness, and at enterprises that reported overfulfillment of plans, workers, in fact, only sat out the prescribed hours.

The same pattern was observed in agriculture. Collective and state farms reported record harvests, which in fact were not. Everyone knew this, but maintained the illusion of general well-being. Against this "gray background", the party and economic nomenklatura stood out in particular contrast, the representatives of which were generously distributed awards and "chunks of the state pie", many of which ended up on Churbanov's table.

At the end of the Brezhnev era

In those years when a personal car was a pipe dream for the vast majority of citizens of the country, he, one of the few, drove around in his own Mercedes, moreover, having several pairs of different numbers in the trunk. According to Galina Leonidovna herself, it is known that this car was presented to her father by Erich Honecker, who was the head of the government of the GDR in those years, and Leonid Ilyich gave it to his son-in-law.

There was endless talk about the luxury in which the ruling elite lives, and, despite the fact that the people, as usual, were silent, the general irritation in them grew. This is how the era of Brezhnev's rule was coming to an end.

The new owner of the Kremlin

The turning point in the biography of Yuri Churbanov was November 1982, when his high-ranking son-in-law and patron died. Soon after the death of Leonid Ilyich, Yu. V. Andropov, who replaced him, initiated a series of high-profile anti-corruption processes, which were necessary primarily to reduce the degree of public discontent. The main defendants in the cases were officials, who were in the inner circle of the deceased General Secretary.

Among them was Churbanov's immediate superior, Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR N. Shchelokov, who, by the way, was a long-standing and implacable enemy of the new owner of the Kremlin. Being under investigation and realizing the irrefutability of the evidence, he could not withstand the psychological stress and in December 1984 committed suicide with a shot from a hunting rifle. Churbanov himself was spared the trouble at that moment. Having summoned him to his place, Andropov, in a short conversation, made it clear that he did not intend to initiate criminal proceedings against him.

Career decline

This period is very important point in the biography of Yuri Churbanov. He did not have children in common with Galina Leonidovna, and therefore the alienation that had long developed between them, after the death of his father-in-law, grew into mutual hostility. Family life, previously supported by him at the cost of considerable effort, has now completely collapsed.

Having lost his high-ranking patron, Yuri Mikhailovich was removed from his former position as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a short time, already under Gorbachev, has come a long way, this time down the career ladder. As a result, he was completely retired after years of service.

Arrest and years of imprisonment

However, fate was already preparing an unexpected blow for its minion. In January 1987, Yuri Mikhailovich was arrested as a defendant in the so-called Uzbek, or cotton case. Speech in this case was about a number of major corruption crimes among the leadership of the Uzbek SSR, in which, according to the investigation, Churbanov was also involved.

He was charged with taking a number of bribes in a particularly large size. Despite the fact that his guilt was not proven in most episodes, by a court decision in 1988 he was sentenced to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property, but after 5 years he received parole. It should be noted that at that time Churbanov became the highest-ranking official among all those behind bars. The new authorities intensively created the illusion of fighting corruption, and he served as a bargaining chip in their game.

last years of life

At the time when Yuri Mikhailovich was in the camp, his Galina Leonidovna filed for a divorce, and their marriage, already for a long time which was only a formality, was finally terminated. About the personal life of Yuri Churbanov after prison, the biography says that in 1994 he married for the third time, and this time, as people who knew him testify, successfully. became his wife old friend─ Lyudmila Vasilievna Kuznetsova. She is characterized as a very calm, intelligent woman who worked for many years at Moscow State University. Upon marriage, she took her husband's surname.

Yury Churbanov's widow, Lyudmila Churbanova, wrote in her husband's biography that being in prison undermined his health, and for the last five years of his life he was paralyzed. Of course, all the care of him lay on her shoulders. Yuri Mikhailovich died on October 7, 2013 and was buried at the Mitinsky cemetery in Moscow. According to the biography published along with the posthumous obituary, Yuri Mikhailovich Churbanov had children only from his first marriage and, having returned from prison, did not maintain contact with them.