🗓 On January 27, 1944, the 872-day siege of Leningrad was finally lifted, marking the end of one of the most tragic episodes of the Great Patriotic War which claimed the lives of over a million Leningraders.
 
The blockade began on September 8, 1941, when Nazi troops isolated the city from the rest of the country by land. From the north, it was cut off from the main forces by Finnish troops allied with the Nazi Germany. In addition to the Finns, soldiers from Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands & Norway took part in the offensive, as well as volunteers from Austria, Latvia, Poland, France & Czechoslovakia.
 
Despite the cold, hunger & horrors of war, the Leningraders selflessly defended their city from total destruction during these 872 days and even in these dire circumstances continued producing goods & various machinery to supply the war effort against the Nazis. The incredible resilience and bravery of Leningrad residents shattered all the plans and ambitions of the Nazi invaders.
 
⚔️ A year after the breakthrough, Soviet Army managed to finally lift the siege of the city on January 27, 1944. After the success of the Iskra Operation, the situation in the city improved dramatically, but the threat remained. At the end of 1943, the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive Operation was planned, during which Soviet soldiers liberated the Leningrad, Novgorod and part of the Kalinin (now Tver) regions, and pushed back the enemy to the borders of Estonia and Latvia.

🎖 The courage & heroism of Leningrad defenders were highly appreciated by the Motherland. Many units & formations were awarded the honourable title of “Guards”, orders & the honorary title of “Leningrad”. On the Leningrad, Volkhov & Karelian fronts, 486 people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, including eight people who received it twice. 350,000+ servicemen on the Leningrad front alone received orders & medals.

#WeRemember and pay tribute to the heroes who stopped the Nazi plague that crippled Europe and threatened humankind.