From Lenin's revolution to Putin's presidency — the leaders who shaped the Soviet Union and modern Russia.
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Leaders of Russia 23
1870 – 1924Vladimir LeninFounder of the Soviet UnionVladimir Ilyich Lenin (April 22, 1870 – January 21, 1924) was the founder of the Soviet state and leader of the Bolshevik Revolution. He led Soviet Russia from 1917 and the Soviet Union from its formation in 1922 until his death in 1924.
1878 – 1953Joseph StalinSoviet dictator — industrialisation and terrorJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin (December 18, 1878 – March 5, 1953) was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. He transformed the USSR into an industrial superpower through collectivisation and Five Year Plans, but at the cost of millions of lives in the Great Purge and gulag system.
1894 – 1971Nikita KhrushchevDe-Stalinisation and the Cuban Missile CrisisNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 15, 1894 – September 11, 1971) led the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964. He denounced Stalin's cult of personality, launched Sputnik, and navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was removed in a coup by Politburo colleagues in 1964.
1906 – 1982Leonid BrezhnevThe era of stagnationLeonid Ilyich Brezhnev (December 19, 1906 – November 10, 1982) led the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982. His 18-year tenure brought stability but also stagnation. He ordered the invasions of Czechoslovakia (1968) and Afghanistan (1979).
1911 – 1985Konstantin ChernenkoThe last old-guard Soviet leaderKonstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (September 24, 1911 – March 10, 1985) was the Soviet leader from February 1984 until his death in March 1985, just 13 months in office. Already seriously ill when he took power, his death prompted the party to choose the younger Gorbachev.
1914 – 1984Yuri AndropovFormer KGB chief who briefly led the USSRYuri Vladimirovich Andropov (June 9, 1914 – February 9, 1984) was the Soviet leader from November 1982 until his death in February 1984, just 15 months in office. A former KGB chief, he began some tentative reforms but died before he could implement them.
1917 – 1924Lenin leads Soviet RussiaOctober Revolution to death — 1917 to 1924Lenin led Soviet Russia from the October Revolution on November 7, 1917, and the Soviet Union from its formation in December 1922 until his death on January 21, 1924. He established the one-party Bolshevik state and the foundations of Soviet communism.
1924 – 1953Stalin in powerSoviet dictator — 1924 to 1953Stalin consolidated power gradually after Lenin's death, becoming undisputed leader by the late 1920s. His 29-year rule transformed the USSR through forced industrialisation and collectivisation, but also brought the Great Terror, the Gulag and an estimated 6-20 million deaths from political repression.
1931 – 2007Boris YeltsinFirst president of Russia, 1991-1999Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (February 1, 1931 – April 23, 2007) was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. He oversaw Russia's chaotic transition to democracy and market economy, and famously appointed Vladimir Putin as his successor on New Year's Eve 1999.
1931 – 2022Mikhail GorbachevLast leader of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (March 2, 1931 – August 30, 2022) was the last leader of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until the USSR's dissolution in 1991. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) inadvertently led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
1952 – presentVladimir PutinRussia's dominant leader since 2000Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born October 7, 1952) has been the dominant leader of Russia since 2000. A former KGB officer, he served as President 2000-2008, Prime Minister 2008-2012, and again as President from 2012 onwards. He launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
1953 – 1964Khrushchev in powerDe-Stalinisation and the Space Race — 1953 to 1964Khrushchev emerged as Soviet leader after Stalin's death in 1953. He denounced Stalin in his 1956 "Secret Speech", launched Sputnik and Gagarin into space, built the Berlin Wall, and nearly brought the world to nuclear war in the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was deposed in a bloodless coup in October 1964.
1964 – 1982Brezhnev in powerEra of stagnation — 1964 to 1982Brezhnev ruled the Soviet Union for 18 years. His doctrine justified Soviet intervention in socialist countries. He oversaw détente with the West, signed SALT arms treaties, hosted the 1980 Moscow Olympics — boycotted by 65 countries — and invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
1965 – presentDmitry MedvedevPresident of Russia 2008-2012Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born September 14, 1965) served as President of Russia from 2008 to 2012, with Putin serving as Prime Minister during this period. Widely seen as a Putin proxy, he is now Deputy Chairman of the Security Council.
1982 – 1984Andropov in powerKGB chief leads the USSR — 1982 to 1984Andropov led the Soviet Union for just 15 months before his death from kidney failure. Despite the brief tenure, he began some anti-corruption campaigns and promoted younger reformers including Mikhail Gorbachev.
1984 – 1985Chernenko in powerLast old-guard leader — 1984 to 1985Chernenko led the Soviet Union for just 13 months, already gravely ill when appointed. His brief tenure was largely uneventful. His death at age 73 prompted the Politburo to finally choose a younger leader — Mikhail Gorbachev, aged 54.
1985 – 1991Gorbachev in powerGlasnost, Perestroika and the collapse of the USSR — 1985 to 1991Gorbachev became Soviet leader on March 11, 1985 and resigned on December 25, 1991, the day the Soviet Union was dissolved. His reforms of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) inadvertently unleashed forces that ended the Cold War and dissolved the USSR.
1991 – 1999Yeltsin presidencyFirst President of Russia — 1991 to 1999Yeltsin was elected President of Russia on July 10, 1991 and resigned on December 31, 1999, handing power to Putin. His presidency saw the chaotic privatisation of state assets, two Chechen Wars, a constitutional crisis in 1993 and Russia's first democratic elections.
1991Soviet Union dissolvedGorbachev resigns — December 25, 1991Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991, and the Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin for the last time. The USSR was formally dissolved and replaced by 15 independent states. It was the end of a 69-year experiment in communism.
2000 – 2008Putin 1st presidencyFirst and second terms — 2000 to 2008Putin was elected President on March 26, 2000, and re-elected in 2004. During his first two terms he consolidated state power, suppressed political opposition, benefited from oil revenues, and gradually reasserted Russian influence abroad.
2008 – 2012Medvedev presidencyPutin's placeholder president — 2008 to 2012Medvedev served as President from May 7, 2008 to May 7, 2012 while Putin served as Prime Minister — widely seen as a constitutional workaround to preserve Putin's grip on power. Medvedev oversaw Russia's war with Georgia in 2008.
2012 – presentPutin 2nd & 3rd presidenciesThird term onwards — 2012 to presentPutin returned to the presidency on May 7, 2012, and was re-elected in 2018 and 2024 following constitutional changes extending term limits. He ordered the annexation of Crimea in 2014, interference in the 2016 US election, and launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
2022Russia invades UkraineLargest European war since WWIIRussia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the largest military attack in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian forces mounted fierce resistance.