Anna Chernenko

Anna Dmitrievna Chernenko (née Lyubimova) (1913 – 2010) was the wife of Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko.

Biography

Anna Dmitrievna Lyubimova was born into an illiterate family and joined the Pioneer movement and the Komsomol in the 1930s. She was educated as a tractor technician

She was the second spouse of Konstantin Chernenko. They had three children; a son and two daughters. She served as the director of the University of Culture. In addition, she worked for Moscow cultural organizations for nearly thirty years, particularly in the house on Kutuzovsky Prospect. She was also a patron of Soviet movies.

She was the spouse of the Soviet head of state from 11 April 1984 to 10 March 1985. She reportedly protested over the election of her husband as party leader in 1984, saying "his health would never stand the strain." When a red line installed in their bedroom following the appointment of Konstantin Chernenko, it was kept on her side of the bed. She answered the calls and mostly refused to wake him.

She was described as a modest, kind, shy and courageous woman. She was not a public figure like other spouses of the Soviet leaders and she was seen with her husband in parliamentary elections in March 1984. The other public appearance was in her husband's funeral in March 1985.