KGB assassination of Leonid Brezhnev during the Washington Summit of 1973.

[123lll]

As Leonid Brezhnev is escorted by Richard Nixon for a state dinner, a bomb suddenly explodes in which Brezhnev dies. After the explosion is made broadcasted and made public knowledge across the whole world, soon after, key supporters and the people who make up Brezhnev's power base start mysteriously start dying, resigning from their offices and keeping completely quiet about political matters, disappearing, or start having charges brought against them. In the absence of people to hold their offices, new political figures start occupying them, with the one common trait of being very friendly with the KGB. Soon after, the GRU also starts being affected by this mysterious phenomena, with the majority of their top leadership being replaced by figures who are more cordial with the KGB. Unknown to everyone but the leadership of the KGB, it is they who are behind the assassination of Brezhnev and is moving to become the de-facto highest authority within the Union, overtaking the government, CPSU, and all other institutions, Yuri Andropov now becoming General Secretary of the CCCP to further their goals.

Can the KGB hide their power-play from the USSR and the rest of the world? How is the death of Brezhnev received by the world with the complete lack of any leads or evidence to point to whoever did it? How does this KGB managed USSR look like?

 

[Dr Dee]

Erm…I should imagine that if Nixon was escorting Brezhnev at the time of detonation, the CIA might have something to say about it, even if Tricky Dick survived.

 

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

A more plausible scenerio might be: Brezhnev dies during the June 1973 Camp David joyriding incident. The KGB takes control during the subsequent power struggle.

 

[Alexniko]

As Leonid Brezhnev is escorted by Richard Nixon for a state dinner, a bomb suddenly explodes in which Brezhnev dies. After the explosion is made broadcasted and made public knowledge across the whole world, soon after, key supporters and the people who make up Brezhnev's power base start mysteriously start dying, resigning from their offices and keeping completely quiet about political matters, disappearing, or start having charges brought against them. In the absence of people to hold their offices, new political figures start occupying them, with the one common trait of being very friendly with the KGB. Soon after, the GRU also starts being affected by this mysterious phenomena, with the majority of their top leadership being replaced by figures who are more cordial with the KGB. Unknown to everyone but the leadership of the KGB, it is they who are behind the assassination of Brezhnev and is moving to become the de-facto highest authority within the Union, overtaking the government, CPSU, and all other institutions, Yuri Andropov now becoming General Secretary of the CCCP to further their goals.

Can the KGB hide their power-play from the USSR and the rest of the world? How is the death of Brezhnev received by the world with the complete lack of any leads or evidence to point to whoever did it? How does this KGB managed USSR look like?

I'm very, very sceptical. Historically, the KGB would've never ever acted against the will of the party and state leadership. Some rogue elements could've certainly killed Brezhnev (if, by some miracle, their plot wasn't uncovered). But an all-out KGB takeover behind the scenes is very hard to immagine. The leading role of the party was very well entrenched at this point, both the KGB leadership and the KGB rank-and-file were thoroughly loyal. Back in the day the Siloviki were de-facto allmost completely powerless (at least in their role as members of the Siloviki, many were high-ranking party members aswell). The average KGB officer would've rather reported his superior than partaken in a coup. And even if such a coup did happen, it would've stood all but no chance of success.

 

[prani]

Yuri Andropov now becoming General Secretary of the CCCP to further their goals.

Are you watching too many Russian television series where Andropov is portrayed to be some sort of a genius?
The guy was pretty smart, like very smart but he's not the man the Putin's establishment want you to believe, he's a Marxist lennist of the highest order and his loyalty is to KPCC and not to mention the subordination of the KGB to the council of ministers of the USSR and it's head to the central committee of the CPSU and politburo

And not to mention how the Soviet military would respond to such a move.

The KGB emerged onto the Russian political system because of the decay of Russian state apparatus in the 90s especially by the late 90s when the group of mid level and top ex KGB began to organise themselves politically and take over the country and this is how Putin established himself over the country.

The Soviet union was a different beast, there was the military, the members of the government and the CPSU who all fought over influence and control and KGB is one amongst the many players in the system.

 

[Chapman]

Erm…I should imagine that if Nixon was escorting Brezhnev at the time of detonation, the CIA might have something to say about it, even if Tricky Dick survived.

The Washington Summit was literally held in the White House as I understand. A bomb goes off in the President's home at the same time the Soviets are visiting, and nobody thinks anything of it? Near impossible IMO. While the KGB might try and paint this as an act of sabotage by a third party with issues against both the US and USSR, I think the list of people who are 1) completely unaligned with either side 2) openly hostile enough against both sides and 3) capable of pulling off this operation is very, very short. And if the KGB comes prepared too quickly with answers about "who dun it" I think that just looks all the more suspicious; you were anticipating this, so you had answers ready. The subsequent purging of Brezhnev's former allies by the new KGB-based leadership will make this even more suspicious.

 

[Blyatnik]

A bomb goes off in the President's home at the same time the Soviets are visiting, and nobody thinks anything of it? Near impossible IMO.

Not only does this attack take place in one of the two most secure buildings on the planet, it also takes place on the watch of the two greatest intelligence collection agencies in human history and magically, no one is ever caught. It will immediately be deflected to one side or the other, and once the KGB inserts itself into power, it will be a PR disaster since they were the ones that are supposed to pre-empt this kind of thing. Not only that, but the GRU would probably act against the KGB in short order, as the Military would not want to be subservient to an intelligence agency, especially with the top leadership of the Army remembering the era of NKVD commissars overriding Army commanders and causing military disasters and huge failures in morale.