Leader of the Soviet Union

Leader of the Soviet Union Лидер Советского Союзаcode: rus promoted to code: ru   (Russian)
State Emblem of the Soviet Union
Longest serving Joseph Stalin 21 January 1924 – 5 March 1953
Style	Mr. Leader (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Type	Country leader (de facto)
Reports to	Supreme Soviet
Residence	Kremlin Senate, Moscow
Appointer	Supreme Soviet
Term length	None, Life tenure
Precursor	Tsar of Russia
Formation	30 December 1922; 101 years ago (1922-12-30)
First holder	Vladimir Lenin
Final holder	Mikhail Gorbachev
Abolished	26 December 1991; 32 years ago (1991-12-26)
Succession	President of Russia (de facto)
Deputy	None

The leader of the Soviet Union (Russian: Лидер Советского Союза, romanised: Lider Sovetskogo Soyuza) was an informal term for the most important political figure in the Soviet Union. It was the de facto leader of the country. The leader controlled the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and the Red Army, often held the title of CPSU General Secretary.

The state representative, head of state (president) or head of government (premier) weren't always necessarily the leader as under the Soviet Union's party-state system, CPSU roles were politically more important than state titles. However, most of the Soviet leaders were also the president and premier. The leader was the most power title in the country as all of the individuals who held the position except Georgy Malenkov were the most powerful figures in the country.