Brezhnev was the 5th leader of the USSR.

The story behind the answer

True. Counting the USSR’s de facto top rulers, Brezhnev is fifth: Lenin (1917–24), Stalin (1924–53), Malenkov (1953–55), Khrushchev (1953–64), then Leonid Brezhnev (1964–82). He took power after Khrushchev’s ouster and led the Soviet Union for 18 years, second in length only to Stalin.

Brezhnev’s rule mixed détente with the West and hard-line control at home and in Eastern Europe (the “Brezhnev Doctrine,” used in Czechoslovakia, 1968). His long tenure is often called the “Era of Stagnation,” ending with the costly 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. Memory tip: the first five Soviet leaders go L–S–M–K–B—Lenin, Stalin, Malenkov, Khrushchev, Brezhnev.