The Russian president took part in a commemorative ceremony and met living veterans of the Second World War
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 the memorial at the so-called Nevsky Pyatochok, a crucial bridgehead across the Neva River located just to the east of St Petersburg.
This some three km-long 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 dubbed ‘The Leningrad Victory,’ where he met veterans of the Second World War. The president gave veterans commemorative medals minted to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory.
“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, diseases, 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 only on January 27, 1944.
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