Crossword Genius

One who took the lead in old Russia (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ivan

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'old russia' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'one who took the lead' is the wordplay.
'one who' becomes 'i' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'took' says to put letters next to each other.
'the lead' becomes 'van' (vanguard is the leading military formation).
'i'+'van'='IVAN'

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ivan that I've seen before include "man who had a terrible reputation" , "'Terrible' emperor of Russia" , "A Russian emperor, quite Terrible" , "Chap" , "Russian boy's name" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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