23. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev was Soviet President from 1964 to 1982. Like his predecessors, his government was marred by violence. It was during his leadership when Russia made the costly invasion and occupation of Afghanistan where Russian troops suffered heavy losses. It was also during his reign when the Cold War tensions returned. His government was also attributed to the mass murder of Poles, Armenians, Moldovans, Volga Germans, and Cossacks. Overall, his presidency claimed the lives of more than 900,000 people. His reign of terror ended when he died in 1982.
