80 years since the liberation of Leningrad from the siege.

On January 27, 2024. St. Petersburg celebrates the 80th anniversary of the liberation from the siege. The siege of Leningrad (Russian: Blokada Leningrada) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) on the Eastern Front of World War II. Germany’s Army Group North advanced from the south, while the German-allied Finnish army invaded from the north and completed the ring around the city. The siege began on 8 September 1941, when the Wehrmacht severed the last road to the city. The blockade became one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history, and it was possibly the costliest siege in history due to the number of casualties which were suffered throughout its duration. An estimated 1.5 million people died as a result of the siege. At the time, it was not classified as a war crime, however, in the 21st century, some historians have classified it as a genocide, due to the intentional destruction of the city and the systematic starvation of its civilian population. The siege continued since 8 September 1941 – 27 January 1944 (2 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days)