Russians celebrate 83rd anniversary of end of Leningrad siege

The Nazi blockade of the city lasted 872 days and claimed the lives of over a million people

St. Petersburg on Sunday marked the 83rd anniversary of the breakthrough of the siege of the city, then called Leningrad, with solemn ceremonies and flower-laying events at various locations, the governor’s press service said.

The siege of Leningrad was one of the deadliest blockades in history. More than a million people, roughly half of the city’s prewar population, died from starvation, disease, and bombardment, surrounded by the forces of Nazi Germany and their Finnish allies. The blockade began on September 8, 1941, and lasted 872 days.

The Red Army managed to open a narrow land corridor to the city in January 1943, and the siege was fully lifted on January 27, 1944.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov joined senior officials, lawmakers and representatives of veteran and public organizations in laying flowers at the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad and the Blockade sculpture garden at Victory Square. Among those in attendance were the speaker of the city’s legislative assembly, a deputy presidential envoy to Russia’s northwest, as well as members of regional governments and parliaments.

“The breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade will forever remain an example of resilience, courage and heroism for us,” Beglov said in a statement. “We are grateful to the generation of victors who defended our city and broke the enemy’s resistance in the harshest conditions. The memory of the feat of the defenders and residents of besieged Leningrad is sacred for every resident of St. Petersburg.”

Commemorative events took place throughout the city, with flowers laid at blockade memorials and volunteers launching a nationwide campaign known as the “Leningrad Victory Ribbon,” distributing ribbons near central metro stations.

A poetry marathon dedicated to the siege was held at a youth cultural venue, while schoolchildren stood an honor guard at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery. The city’s Rostral Columns were lit with ceremonial flames, bridges were illuminated in commemorative colors, and searchlights known as the “Rays of Victory” were switched on at Victory Square.