The Russian city of St. Petersburg on January 27 marked the 80th anniversary of the end of a devastating World War II siege by Nazi forces with a series of memorial events attended by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin leader laid flowers at a monument to fallen Soviet defenders of the city, then called Leningrad, on the banks of the Neva River, and then at Piskarevskoye Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of siege victims are buried. The Red Army broke the nearly 2 1/2-year blockade on January 19, 1943, after fierce fighting. Historians say more than 1 million residents perished from hunger or air and artillery bombardments during the siege.
Russia Marks 80 Years Since Nazi Siege Of Leningrad Broken
- By AP
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.