Clue: … Soviet leader, restoring Ivan the Terrible, last letters of literati lost (8)
Answer: BREZHNEV
Explanation: … Soviet leader, restoring Ivan the Terrible, last letters of literati lost (8)
**(vnherbe + Z)**, which is what's left after you remove the letters of "literati" from "Ivan the Terrible" and add Z ("last") 
*Too convoluted, and Z for last?