# Talk:Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev

i'm fixin to remove this line: Brezhnev's funeral started the so-called [[Era of Magnificent Funerals]], when top Soviet statesmen died one after another. this is unsourced, but going back to the first draft of this article reveals this cite which does not make this claim. the cite instead says this funeral deserves "special attention" due to the number of medals he was buried with, and the measures that were taken during the procession, and also detailing the elaborate funerals of others before (and since) the death of Brezhnev. -badmachine 18:33, 11 September 2011 (UTC)

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

1977 CPA 4774(Cutted).jpg
Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:07, 22 March 2020 (UTC)

The claims made in Kremlin Wives are of dubious value, and I'd like other editor's feedback prior to removal. The four made by Vasilieva are:

Galina Brezhnev (GB) followed by "burly" men
GB "not seen in public" during Andropov's tenure
Andrei Kirilenko crying while "confronting" Viktoria Brezhnev
GB shunned by Andropov, turning his back on her at the funeral
The first 3 above are not surprising when considering the "tell all" nature of Kremlin Wives, comparable to Kitty Kelly's tell all books here in the USA—bestsellers containing much gossip and little verification—which is problematic for historians. Those 3 seem out of place here in the article.
Number 4 is the most problematic. Both Time Magazine and The New York Times contradict that claim. On YouTube, there is footage from Breznev's funeral clearly showing Vasilieva's claim is false. I think it would be best to omit all 4 from the article. What do others think? Please feel free to comment below.  Spintendo  01:03, 6 October 2021 (UTC)


### Additional issues identified with the Vasilieva source
"At Brezhnev's funeral, two burly guards were constantly by her side." This would not be out of the ordinary, as Galina was at that time a family member of the leader, and would normally have had guards accompanying her. Furthermore, "by her side"—which is how Vasilieva phrases it in her book—is distinctly different from saying she "was constantly followed", which is how the Wikipedia article phrases it.
Saying Galina was "not seen in public" is belied by the fact that she appears, in public, at the funeral.
The claim that Andropov "turned his back to her" is patently shown to be false when the video record of Andropov kissing Galina on the cheek is observed.
One anecdote in Kremlin Wives involves Galina's supposed quest to take possession of a diadem once worn by Queen Tamara. According to Vasilieva, this diadem is on display at a museum in Zugdidi. However, the Dadiani Palace in Zugdidi has never had such a diadem on display.
As far as Galina being some sort of criminal, she may have had others around her who were arrested, but she herself was never convicted of any crime. The one husband who was jailed for criminal exploits was eventually rehabilitated, with Galina being granted access to his once previously-apprehended finances, allowing her to live the rest of her life in financial comfort. 
Vasilieva herself admits her information is based on gossip, saying of Galina "Perestroika turns rumors into half facts. Many of these are filled with inaccuracies, and details were invented to allow the new political figures to rail at the old. But where there is smoke, there is usually fire." The Wikipedia article should not use this smoke to imply fire. For these reasons, I'm removing the claims made by Vasilieva's book.  Spintendo  04:24, 12 October 2021 (UTC)

The article currently contains a claim made on a now-defunct website called "Gazeta" regarding what I'll call the "Brezhnev coffin-lowering episode". Other reliable sources given in the article have confirmed that the weight of the coffin caused it to lower into the grave at a speed not anticipated by those lowering it, causing a "crash".
Regarding Gazeta, an archive made of the site states that Gazeta is "a portal created by users themselves." Its About Us section also states: "Registration is required to post a publication or comments. It's free."
The claim in Gazeta is that "funeral service specialist Georgy Kovalenko .... claims that nothing like this (the Brezhnev coffin-lowing episode) happened." Kovalenko's reasoning is that the weight of Brezhnev's coffin did not cause it to descend into the grave suddenly because, according to him, "twenty minutes before the descent the then commandant of the Kremlin, Semyon Shornikov, approached him and asked him to lower the coffin simultaneously with the chimes." 
Needless to say, asking someone to lower a coffin in accordance with chimes says nothing about what happened while that coffin was being lowered. That, coupled with the fact that Gazeta does not meet the definition of WP:RS, strongly suggests that the claim ought to be removed from the article.
I'd appreciate knowing other editors comments/concerns about this here.  Spintendo  22:52, 14 November 2021 (UTC)

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Death and state funeral of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you.  —RMCD bot 00:49, 25 September 2022 (UTC)

The two sources that we have for this information, Blake and Sell, offer slightly differing accounts of the changes to the television lineup on the evening Brezhnev died. For example, Blake mentions the television program which was replaced by the documentary on Lenin as encompassing a "pop music concert". Sell describes this concert as a program in honor of "the day of the militia men". Both Blake and Sell correctly state that the program was replaced by the documentary on Lenin. However, Sell states that the Tchaikovsky symphony aired after the Lenin documentary on the same channel, whereas Blake states that the Tchaikovsky symphony substitution aired on a different channel as the replacement for an ice hockey game. Only Blake gives the information about the Vremya newscast.
With regards to the Tchaikovsky substitution, I'm more inclined to favor the primary source (Blake) over the secondary source (Sell). Blake was writing from a time closer to the event where memories are fresher. Sell on the other hand, was writing many decades later. I've tried to reflect a compromise as best as possible in how that section is written and cited. In places where they align, I've given the cite to Sell. In the place where they differ, I'm giving the information from Blake and the cite to her, because as a primary source, I believe her information is fresher in her mind. If anyone has some input they'd like to offer on this, please speak up. thanks!  Spintendo  05:31, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

The Ghandi quote given by the Blake source is simple: "He stood by us in our moment of need". WP:INTEGRITY states that sources, when cited, must be placed at the exact location in the text that the source confirms. This edit contravenes integrity by moving the Blake source after comments which Blake does not state.
The source for the Qadaffi quote is likely spurious. My research into quotes offered by the Libyan leader after Brezhnev's death have not turned up anything like what is said here. Qadaffi gave many statements about Brezhnev and his life in the years after Brezhnev's death, statements discussing Brezhnev's character. But none of these were given immediately at the time of his death, and they certainly weren't condolences -- which is the subject of the section in question.

 Spintendo  10:57, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

The problematic text is "whose government had received Soviet military equipments via the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation". There is no need to speculate motives and treat it as fact. It is WP:UNDUE and should be removed.
Gaddafi's quote is authentic. You can verify it here:[1] Capitals00 (talk) 11:16, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
The text that you've provided does not indicate that it comes from a quote, nor does it state who made the quote (if it is a quote). If you're able to access the entire page, then I suggest you archive it, or at least provide the full text here on the talk page, taking care to copy where Gaddafi's name is mentioned, so that it may be verified. Information which would be useful here would answer the questions of where was the quote given and to whom was it spoken. Till then, I'm adding a disputed inline template.  Spintendo  18:11, 10 June 2024 (UTC)