Eventually the Soviet government , under leader Leonid Brezhnev , decided Deciding to the 40th Army on December 24 , 1979 .

The deployment Arranging had been variously called Name_conferral an `` invasion '' ( by Western media and the rebels ) or a legitimate supporting intervention ( by the Soviet Union and the Afghan government ) on the basis of the Brezhnev Doctrine .

After five days of national mourning Rite , Brezhnev was given Giving a state funeral and then buried Placing in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis .

Yuri Andropov , Brezhnev 's eventual successor as general secretary , was chairman of the committee in charge of managing Brezhnev 's funeral , held on 15 November 1982 , five days after his death Death .

Yuri Andropov , Brezhnev 's eventual successor as general secretary , was chairman of the committee in charge of managing Brezhnev 's funeral , held on 15 November 1982 , five days after his death Death .

The foreign policy of the Soviet Union during this era was known as the Brezhnev Doctrine .