Putin marks 81st anniversary of lifting of Leningrad siege (VIDEO)
Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the 81st anniversary of the breaking the siege of Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg) on Monday, handing out commemorative medals to veterans of the war.
The president laid flowers at a memorial at the Nevsky Pyatochok, a crucial bridgehead across the Neva River located just to the east of St. Petersburg.
This approximately 3km stretch of land saw the most intense combat throughout most of the siege, with Soviet forces holding out against overwhelming German forces and thwarting their efforts to advance into the city.
Footage released by the Kremlin press service shows the Russian president bowing his head in silence at the memorial, a large granite cube installed at the Nevsky Pyatochok.
Later in the day, Putin made an appearance at a concert-requiem called ‘The Leningrad Victory,’ where he met with veterans of the Second World War. The president gave the veterans commemorative medals marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II.
“The massive feat of the besieged city will never be forgotten. They, our veterans, left their descendants an example of selflessness, mercy, unity and true patriotism for centuries to come – those noble human qualities that at all times bolster our self-confidence and strength,” Putin said ahead of the award ceremony.
The siege of Leningrad was one of the deadliest blockades ever imposed on a city, with over a million people, half of Leningrad’s population, succumbing to starvation, disease, and bombardment by Nazi forces. The siege began on September 8, 1941 and lasted for 872 days.
The Red Army managed to open a narrow land corridor to the city in January 1943, with the siege fully lifted on January 27, 1944.
