It was probably Kaganovich who brought him to Stalin’s notice ... They proved the better maneuverers. Death of a Rival. Zhdanov’s own son, Yuri, was chief of the scientific propaganda section.

The Death of Stalin trailer cued us up to expect a Monty Python-style farce (helped along by the presence of Michael Palin, who plays the old warhorse Molotov). That's only halfway true.

Stalin’s death brought an uncertain pause – a fleeting ... This owed much to his relationship with Lazar Kaganovich, one of Stalin’s closest associates and key figure in Soviet politics.