An Estonian communist leader who chose to preserve the Soviet Union
In 1991, as Estonian independence approached, he joined the Politburo while backing the Soviet Union.
Lembit Annus was a Moscow-aligned Estonian communist leader who stood at the centre of the late Soviet conflict over national independence and preserving the Union. From December 1990 until the party was banned in August 1991, he was First Secretary of the Communist Party of Estonia on the CPSU platform, and in 1991 he joined the CPSU Politburo. After the party's dissolution, he remained active in communist politics as a Pravda correspondent and Tallinn municipal councillor.
Career Timeline
- 1941Born in Kohtla-Järve, Estonian SSR
- 1963Joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- 1983–1989Editor-in-chief of Eesti Kommunist
- 1990First Secretary of the Kalinin District Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia
- 1990–1991First Secretary of the Communist Party of Estonia on the CPSU platform
- 1991Member of the CPSU Politburo
- 1991–1999Estonia correspondent for Pravda and Tallinn City Council member
The Soviet Politburo
- Full member 1991.01–1991.08
served until the party ban of 1991.11