The Siege of Leningrad was a brutal military blockade initiated by the Axis powers during World War II, targeting the city of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) from September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944. This siege, lasting 872 days, was driven by Germany’s strategic objective to capture the city, which held significant political and symbolic importance as the former capital of Russia and a center of Bolshevism.

The German command aimed to starve the city’s population into submission, believing that cutting off supplies would lead to a swift capitulation. Instead, Leningrad’s residents displayed remarkable resilience, enduring unimaginable hardships as they fought for survival amidst one of history’s most devastating sieges.

During the siege, approximately 1.5 million people died due to starvation, bombardments, and disease. Food rations plummeted to as low as 125 grams of bread per day, often mixed with sawdust.

Many resorted to desperate measures, including cannibalism, as documented in police records revealing thousands of arrests related to these acts.

Civilians faced extreme hardships; children and the elderly were particularly vulnerable. The city’s defenders managed to maintain a narrow supply route known as the Road of Life, which allowed for some food and supplies to reach the city via Lake Ladoga during winter months.

The siege ended with a Soviet offensive that finally broke the blockade in January 1944. The resilience of Leningrad’s residents became a symbol of Soviet endurance against Nazi aggression.

This tragic chapter remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the capacity for survival amidst unimaginable suffering.