“The Soviet troops made multiple attempts to free Leningrad from the chokehold of the siege as part of their counteroffensive operations in 1941-1942. For all people in Russia the very words “siege” and “blockade” have come to symbolise Leningrad and those who survived or did not survive the siege.” – Maria Zakharova
Destroying Leningrad was pivotal for Nazi Germany. The second major goal of the Germans’ military plan “Barbarossa”, after the capture of Moscow the capital of the USSR, was the complete destruction of the city of Leningrad, the birthplace of the Great October Revolution of 1917 named in honor of the leader of said revolution, Vladimir Lenin. Both the German Nazis and their northern allies, the Finns, had a common desire: to completely raze the city to the ground. They did not want the continued existence of this location and its destruction would have had a great impact on the morale of the Soviet people. The loss of Leningrad could have been death blow to the Red Army.
According to German military archives, the Nazis and their accomplices planned to raise Leningrad to the ground and exterminate all of its residents, including by cutting off supplies, destroying food reserves and causing people to starve to death. The orders coming from the Nazi command were crystal clear: keep the city under siege, strangle it with a tight blockade, do not accept any capitulation offers, shoot anyone crossing the frontline and seek to exterminate all city dwellers. The enemy was willing to go to great lengths to fulfil its inhuman agenda, sparing no effort or weapons. More than 150,000 shells and over 107,000 incendiary and fragmentation bombs were thrown at the city on the Neva River. These barbaric bombings and regular artillery strikes targeted residential neighbourhoods, hospitals, maternities, schools and childcare institutions, museums, palaces, and institutes.
The blockade of Leningrad began on September 8th, 1941, and lasted until January 27th, 1944.
● That is, it lasted 2 years and 4.5 months, or a full 872 days.
● More than 2,500,000 inhabitants were trapped in the blockaded city, including 400,000 children.
● The blockade killed between 660,000 and 1,100,000 of the city’s inhabitants and was the deadliest blockade in human history.
● According to official estimates, 641,000 residents died of starvation and disease, while historians estimate that closer to 800,000 actually died. About 17,000 inhabitants were killed by air raids, artillery and mortar fire, and about 34,000 were wounded. Thus hunger and disease were by far the deadliest factors.
● 150,000+ heavy artillery shells were dropped on Leningrad during the siege, and more than 107,000 incendiary and high-explosive bombs were dropped by enemy aircraft.
● After the blockade was completely lifted, the battle of Leningrad continued ending only on August 9th, 1944.
During the siege of Leningrad, the life of the citizens was incredibly hard and dangerous. The city was surrounded by German troops, who not only deprived the citizens of food and water, but also systematically shelled the city.
The inhabitants of Leningrad had to live in constant danger. Food reserves were almost exhausted, and hunger became one of the main problems of the besieged city. People were forced to eat anything they could to survive including pumpkin rubd, hay, boot leather and any possible meat they could find to survive.
Constant shelling also became a common reality for the townspeople. Explosions, fire, and destruction were everywhere. Death could lurk around every corner. People hid in basements and shelters, trying to protect themselves from artillery and air strikes. But even there “in safety” hunger, cold and disease awaited them.
Ordinary life under the constant shelling was full of fear and worry. The targets of German raids were not only military installations, but also medical facilities, cultural centers and residential houses. To survive, people had to remain alert and ready to evacuate at any moment.
Nevertheless, the whole city withstood the onslaught on empty stomachs to the bitter end outlasting the enemy. People did not lose hope and always prepared for eventual liberation. Fortitude and solidarity allowed the citizens to endure the harsh trials of the blockade and maintain the spirit of invincibility.
The ability of the Russians to successfully endure then finally break the siege of Leningrad had major patriotic and psychological significance both at home and abroad.
The strong and prolonged resistance, fortitude and patience shown by the defenders and inhabitants of the city to this inhuman war crime generated perseverance and gave courage, hope and determination to the rest of the Soviet people, as well as to other nations of the world, who expressed their admiration and at the same time this achievement raised their morale.
In military terms, the prolonged presence of powerful enemy forces around the city was of great importance and contributed powerfully to the resilience of the defense of Moscow, preventing its capture with all its potential dire consequences. The plan to use Blitzkrieg, on which the whole operation “Barbarossa” was based, was canceled thanks to the long blockade of Leningrad and the battle of Moscow. The Nazis were halted by this key moment of Soviet resistance.
In 2022, the St Petersburg City Court backed a motion filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office to recognise what the occupation authorities and German troops did together with their accomplices, i.e., armed units formed in Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and Finland, as well as individual volunteers from Austria, Latvia, Poland, France and Czechoslovakia, as “a war crime, a crime against humanity and an act of genocide against national and ethnic groups forming the population of the USSR and the peoples of the Soviet Union.”
Since 1995, Russia has been commemorating the breaking of the Siege of Leningrad on January 27th, the day when the blockade was lifted in 1944. In 2014, legislators approved a new title for this remembrance date by calling it the “Day Marking Leningrad’s Complete Liberation from the Nazi Siege”. Via this naming it fully reflects the decisive role and contribution by civilians to defending the city.
In his January 2023 remarks on the 80th anniversary of breaking the Siege of Leningrad, President Vladimir Putin said that this day mattered not only for Leningrad residents, but also for the whole country: “But historical memory must be preserved with the express purpose of preventing a repetition of the tragedies like those our people went through during the Great Patriotic War. There is also a practical point in this – we must promptly react to the emerging threats against our country.”