Beginning of the blockade
Soon after the start of the Great Patriotic War, Leningrad found itself in the grip of enemy fronts. The German Army Group North (commanded by Field Marshal W. Leeb) was approaching it from the southwest; The Finnish army (commander Marshal K. Mannerheim) targeted the city from the north-west. According to the Barbarossa plan, the capture of Leningrad was supposed to precede the capture of Moscow. Hitler believed that the fall of the northern capital of the USSR would bring not only a military gain - the Russians would lose the city, which is the cradle of the revolution and has a special symbolic meaning for the Soviet state. The Battle of Leningrad, the longest of the war, lasted from July 10, 1941 to August 9, 1944.
In July-August 1941, German divisions were suspended in battles on the Luga line, but on September 8 the enemy reached Shlisselburg and Leningrad, which was home to about 3 million people before the war, was surrounded. To the number of those caught in the blockade, we must add approximately 300 thousand more refugees who arrived in the city from the Baltic states and neighboring regions at the beginning of the war. From that day on, communication with Leningrad became possible only by Lake Ladoga and by air. Almost every day Leningraders experienced the horror of artillery shelling or bombing. As a result of the fires, residential buildings were destroyed, people and food supplies were killed, incl. Badaevsky warehouses.
At the beginning of September 1941, General of the Army G.K. was recalled from Yelnya. Zhukov and told him: “You will have to fly to Leningrad and take command of the front and the Baltic Fleet from Voroshilov.” Zhukov's arrival and the measures he took strengthened the city's defenses, but it was not possible to break the blockade.
The Nazis' plans for Leningrad
The blockade organized by the Nazis was aimed specifically at the extinction and destruction of Leningrad. On September 22, 1941, a special directive noted: “The Fuhrer decided to wipe out the city of Leningrad from the face of the earth. It is planned to surround the city with a tight ring and, through shelling from artillery of all calibers and continuous bombing from the air, raze it to the ground... In this war, waged for the right to exist, we are not interested in preserving at least part of the population.” On October 7, Hitler gave another order - not to accept refugees from Leningrad and to push them back into enemy territory. Therefore, any speculation - including those spread today in the media - that the city could have been saved if it had been surrendered to the mercy of the Germans should be classified either as ignorance or a deliberate distortion of historical truth.
Food situation in the besieged city
Before the war, the metropolis of Leningrad was supplied, as they say, “on wheels”; the city did not have large food reserves. Therefore, the blockade threatened a terrible tragedy - famine. On September 2, we had to strengthen the food saving regime. From November 20, 1941, the lowest norms for the distribution of bread on cards were established: workers and technical workers - 250 g, employees, dependents and children - 125 g. Soldiers of the first line units and sailors - 500 g. Mass death of the population began. In December, 53 thousand people died, in January 1942 - about 100 thousand, in February - more than 100 thousand. The preserved pages of the diary of little Tanya Savicheva do not leave anyone indifferent: “Grandmother died on January 25. ... “Uncle Alyosha on May 10... Mom on May 13 at 7.30 in the morning... Everyone died. Tanya is the only one left." Today, in the works of historians, the numbers of dead Leningraders vary from 800 thousand to 1.5 million people. Recently, data on 1.2 million people has increasingly appeared. Grief came to every family. During the battle for Leningrad, more people died than England and the United States lost during the entire war.
"The road of life"
The salvation for the besieged was the “Road of Life” - a route laid on the ice of Lake Ladoga, along which, from November 21, food and ammunition were delivered to the city and the civilian population was evacuated on the way back. During the period of operation of the “Road of Life” - until March 1943 - 1,615 thousand tons of various cargo were delivered to the city by ice (and in the summer on various ships). At the same time, more than 1.3 million Leningraders and wounded soldiers were evacuated from the city on the Neva. To transport petroleum products along the bottom of Lake Ladoga, a pipeline was laid.
Feat of Leningrad
However, the city did not give up. Its residents and leadership then did everything possible to live and continue to fight. Despite the fact that the city was under severe blockade conditions, its industry continued to supply the troops of the Leningrad Front with the necessary weapons and equipment. Exhausted by hunger and seriously ill, workers carried out urgent tasks, repairing ships, tanks and artillery. Employees of the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing preserved the most valuable collection of grain crops. In the winter of 1941, 28 employees of the institute died of starvation, but not a single box of grain was touched.
Leningrad dealt significant blows to the enemy and did not allow the Germans and Finns to act with impunity. In April 1942, Soviet anti-aircraft gunners and aircraft thwarted the German command's operation "Aisstoss" - an attempt to destroy from the air the ships of the Baltic Fleet stationed on the Neva. Counteraction to enemy artillery was constantly improved. The Leningrad Military Council organized a counter-battery fight, which resulted in a significant reduction in the intensity of shelling of the city. In 1943, the number of artillery shells that fell on Leningrad decreased by approximately 7 times.
The unprecedented self-sacrifice of ordinary Leningraders helped them not only defend their beloved city. It showed the whole world where the limits of Nazi Germany and its allies were.
Actions by the leadership of the city on the Neva
Although Leningrad (as in other regions of the USSR during the war) had its own scoundrels among the authorities, the party and military leadership of Leningrad basically remained at the height of the situation. It behaved adequately to the tragic situation and did not at all “get fat,” as some modern researchers claim. In November 1941, the secretary of the city party committee, Zhdanov, established a strictly fixed, reduced food consumption rate for himself and all members of the military council of the Leningrad Front. Moreover, the leadership of the city on the Neva did everything to prevent the consequences of a severe famine. By decision of the Leningrad authorities, additional food was organized for exhausted people in special hospitals and canteens. In Leningrad, 85 orphanages were organized, accepting tens of thousands of children left without parents. In January 1942, a medical hospital for scientists and creative workers began operating at the Astoria Hotel. Since March 1942, the Leningrad City Council allowed residents to plant personal vegetable gardens in their yards and parks. The land for dill, parsley, and vegetables was plowed even near St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Attempts to break the blockade
Despite all the mistakes, miscalculations, and voluntaristic decisions, the Soviet command took maximum measures to break the siege of Leningrad as quickly as possible. Four attempts were made to break the enemy ring. The first - in September 1941; the second - in October 1941; the third - at the beginning of 1942, during a general counter-offensive, which only partially achieved its goals; the fourth - in August-September 1942. The siege of Leningrad was not broken then, but Soviet sacrifices in offensive operations of this period were not in vain. In the summer and autumn of 1942, the enemy failed to transfer any large reserves from near Leningrad to the southern flank of the Eastern Front. Moreover, Hitler sent the command and troops of Manstein’s 11th Army to take the city, which otherwise could have been used in the Caucasus and near Stalingrad. The Sinyavinsk operation of 1942 on the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts was ahead of the German attack. Manstein's divisions intended for the offensive were forced to immediately engage in defensive battles against the attacking Soviet units.
"Nevsky Piglet"
The heaviest battles in 1941-1942. took place on the “Nevsky Piglet” - a narrow strip of land on the left bank of the Neva, 2-4 km wide along the front and only 500-800 meters deep. This bridgehead, which the Soviet command intended to use to break the blockade, was held by Red Army units for about 400 days. A tiny piece of land was at one time almost the only hope for saving the city and became one of the symbols of the heroism of the Soviet soldiers who defended Leningrad. The battles for the Nevsky Piglet claimed, according to some sources, the lives of 50,000 Soviet soldiers.
Operation Spark
And only in January 1943, when the main forces of the Wehrmacht were pulled towards Stalingrad, the blockade was partially broken. The course of the unblocking operation of the Soviet fronts (Operation Iskra) was led by G. Zhukov. On a narrow strip of the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, 8-11 km wide, it was possible to restore land communications with the country. Over the next 17 days, railroads and roads were built along this corridor. January 1943 was a turning point in the Battle of Leningrad.
The final lifting of the siege of Leningrad
The situation in Leningrad improved significantly, but the immediate threat to the city continued to remain. In order to completely eliminate the blockade, it was necessary to push the enemy back beyond the Leningrad region. The idea of such an operation was developed by the Supreme Command Headquarters at the end of 1943. Forces of the Leningrad (General L. Govorov), Volkhov (General K. Meretskov) and 2nd Baltic (General M. Popov) fronts in cooperation with the Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega flotillas The Leningrad-Novgorod operation was carried out. Soviet troops went on the offensive on January 14, 1944 and liberated Novgorod on January 20. On January 21, the enemy began to withdraw from the Mga-Tosno area, from the section of the Leningrad-Moscow railway that he had cut.
On January 27, to commemorate the final lifting of the siege of Leningrad, which lasted 872 days, fireworks went off. Army Group North suffered a heavy defeat. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod war, Soviet troops reached the borders of Latvia and Estonia.
The importance of the defense of Leningrad
The defense of Leningrad had enormous military-strategic, political and moral significance. Hitler's command lost the opportunity to most effectively maneuver its strategic reserves and transfer troops to other directions. If the city on the Neva had fallen in 1941, then German troops would have united with the Finns, and most of the troops of the German Army Group North could have been deployed south and struck the central regions of the USSR. In this case, Moscow could not have resisted, and the whole war could have gone according to a completely different scenario. In the deadly meat grinder of the Sinyavinsk operation in 1942, Leningraders saved not only themselves with their feat and indestructible fortitude. Having pinned down the German forces, they provided invaluable assistance to Stalingrad and the entire country!
The feat of the defenders of Leningrad, who defended their city under the most difficult trials, inspired the entire army and country, and earned deep respect and gratitude from the states of the anti-Hitler coalition.
In 1942, the Soviet government established the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad,” which was awarded to about 1.5 million defenders of the city. This medal remains in the memory of the people today as one of the most honorable awards of the Great Patriotic War.
DOCUMENTATION:
I. Nazi plans for the future of Leningrad
1. Already on the third day of the war against the Soviet Union, Germany informed the Finnish leadership of its plans to destroy Leningrad. G. Goering told the Finnish envoy in Berlin that the Finns would receive “also St. Petersburg, which, after all, like Moscow, it is better to destroy.”
2. According to a note made by M. Bormann at a meeting on July 16, 1941, “The Finns are claiming the area around Leningrad, the Fuhrer would like to raze Leningrad to the ground and then hand it over to the Finns.”
3. On September 22, 1941, Hitler’s directive stated: “The Fuhrer has decided to wipe out the city of Leningrad from the face of the earth. After the defeat of Soviet Russia, the continued existence of this largest settlement is of no interest. It is planned to surround the city with a tight ring and, through shelling from artillery of all calibers and continuous bombing from the air, raze it to the ground. If, as a result of the situation created in the city, requests for surrender are made, they will be rejected, since the problems associated with the stay of the population in the city and its food supply cannot and should not be solved by us. In this war being waged for the right to exist, we are not interested in preserving even part of the population.”
4. Directive of the German naval headquarters on September 29, 1941: “The Fuhrer has decided to wipe out the city of St. Petersburg from the face of the earth. After the defeat of Soviet Russia, there is no interest in the continued existence of this settlement. Finland has also stated that it is not interested in the continued existence of a city directly next to the new border.”
5. Back on September 11, 1941, Finnish President Risto Ryti told the German envoy in Helsinki: “If St. Petersburg no longer exists as a large city, then the Neva would be the best border on the Karelian Isthmus... Leningrad must be liquidated as a large city.”
6. From the testimony of A. Jodl at the Nuremberg trials: During the siege of Leningrad, Field Marshal von Leeb, commander of Army Group North, informed the OKW that streams of civilian refugees from Leningrad were seeking refuge in the German trenches and that he had no way to feed and care for them about them. The Fuhrer immediately gave an order (dated October 7, 1941) not to accept refugees and push them back into enemy territory
II. The myth about the “fatten” leadership of Leningrad
There was information in the media that in besieged Leningrad A.A. Zhdanov allegedly gorged himself on delicacies, which usually included peaches or boucher cakes. The issue of photographs with “rum women” baked in the besieged city in December 1941 is also discussed. The diaries of former party workers in Leningrad are also cited, which say that party workers lived almost like in paradise.
In fact: the photo with the “rum women” was taken by journalist A. Mikhailov. He was a famous photojournalist for TASS. It is obvious that Mikhailov, indeed, received an official order in order to reassure the Soviet people living on the mainland. In the same context, one should consider the appearance in the Soviet press in 1942 of information about the State Prize for the director of the Moscow sparkling wine factory A.M. Frolov-Bagreev, as the developer of the technology for mass production of sparkling wines “Soviet Champagne”; holding skiing and football competitions in the besieged city, etc. Such articles, reports, photographs had one main purpose - to show the population that not everything is so bad, that even in the most severe conditions of blockade or siege we can make confectionery and champagne wines! We will celebrate the victory with our champagne and hold competitions! We hold on and we will win!
Facts about the party leaders of Leningrad:
1. As one of the two waitresses on duty at the Military Council of the Front, A. A. Strakhov, recalled, in the second ten days of November 1941, Zhdanov called her and established a strictly fixed, reduced food consumption rate for all members of the military council (commander M. S. Khozin, himself, A A. Kuznetsov, T.F. Shtykov, N.V. Solovyov): “Now it will be like this...”. “...A little buckwheat porridge, sour cabbage soup, which Uncle Kolya (his personal chef) cooked for him, is the height of all pleasure!..”
2. The operator of the central communications center located in Smolny, M. Kh. Neishtadt: “To be honest, I didn’t see any banquets... Nobody treated the soldiers, and we weren’t offended... But I don’t remember any excesses there. When Zhdanov arrived, the first thing he did was check the food consumption. Accounting was strict. Therefore, all this talk about “belly holidays” is more speculation than truth. Zhdanov was the first secretary of the regional and city party committees, who exercised all political leadership. I remembered him as a person who was quite scrupulous in everything that related to material issues.”
3. When characterizing the nutrition of the party leadership of Leningrad, certain overexposures are often allowed. We are talking, for example, about Ribkovsky’s often quoted diary, where he describes his stay in a party sanatorium in the spring of 1942, describing the food as very good. It should be remembered that in that source we are talking about March 1942, i.e. the period after the launch of the railway line from Voibokalo to Kabona, which is characterized by the end of the food crisis and the return of nutrition levels to acceptable standards. “Supermortality” at this time occurred only due to the consequences of hunger, to combat which the most exhausted Leningraders were sent to special medical institutions (hospitals), created by decision of the City Party Committee and the Military Council of the Leningrad Front at many enterprises, factories, and clinics in winter 1941/1942.
Before taking a job in the city committee in December, Ribkovsky was unemployed and received the smallest “dependency” ration; as a result, he was severely exhausted, so on March 2, 1942, he was sent for seven days to a medical institution for severely exhausted people. The food in this hospital complied with hospital or sanatorium standards in force at that time.
In his diary, Ribkovsky also honestly writes:
“Comrades say that district hospitals are in no way inferior to the City Committee hospital, and at some enterprises there are hospitals that make our hospital pale in comparison.”
4. By decision of the bureau of the city committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Leningrad City Executive Committee, additional therapeutic nutrition was organized at increased standards not only in special hospitals, but also in 105 city canteens. The hospitals operated from January 1 to May 1, 1942 and served 60 thousand people. Canteens were also established outside enterprises. From April 25 to July 1, 1942, 234 thousand people used them. In January 1942, a hospital for scientists and creative workers began operating at the Astoria Hotel. In the dining room of the House of Scientists, from 200 to 300 people ate in the winter months.
FACTS FROM THE LIFE OF A BLOCKED CITY
During the battle for Leningrad, more people died than England and the United States lost during the entire war.
The attitude of the authorities towards religion has changed. During the blockade, three churches were opened in the city: Prince Vladimir Cathedral, Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral and St. Nicholas Cathedral. In 1942, Easter was very early (March 22, old style). On this day, Easter matins were held in Leningrad churches to the roar of exploding shells and breaking glass.
Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) emphasized in his Easter message that April 5, 1942 marked the 700th anniversary of the Battle of the Ice, in which he defeated the German army.
In the city, despite the blockade, cultural and intellectual life continued. In March, the Musical Comedy of Leningrad gave “Silva”. In the summer of 1942, some educational institutions, theaters and cinemas were opened; There were even several jazz concerts.
During the first concert after the break on August 9, 1942, at the Philharmonic, the orchestra of the Leningrad Radio Committee under the direction of Karl Eliasberg performed for the first time the famous Leningrad Heroic Symphony of Dmitry Shostakovich, which became the musical symbol of the blockade.
No major epidemics occurred during the blockade, despite the fact that hygiene in the city was, of course, far below normal levels due to the almost complete absence of running water, sewerage and heating. Of course, the harsh winter of 1941-1942 helped prevent epidemics. At the same time, researchers also point to effective preventive measures taken by the authorities and medical services.
In December 1941, 53 thousand people died in Leningrad, in January 1942 - more than 100 thousand, in February - more than 100 thousand, in March 1942 - about 100,000 people, in May - 50,000 people , in July - 25,000 people, in September - 7,000 people. (Before the war, the usual mortality rate in the city was about 3,000 people per month).
Enormous damage was caused to historical buildings and monuments of Leningrad. It could have been even larger if very effective measures had not been taken to disguise them. The most valuable monuments, for example, the monument and the monument to Lenin at the Finland Station were hidden under sandbags and plywood shields.
By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of May 1, 1945, Leningrad, along with Stalingrad, Sevastopol and Odessa, was named a hero city for the heroism and courage shown by the city's residents during the siege. For mass heroism and courage in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, shown by the defenders of besieged Leningrad, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 8, 1965, the city was awarded the highest degree of distinction - the title of Hero City.
Dedicated to the anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade during the Great Patriotic War.
The ribbon distributed as part of the campaign is a small strip of fabric in two colors: olive and green. The olive color of the ribbon symbolizes Victory, and green is the color of life. They also repeat the colors of the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” - the main award of the siege survivors.
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✪ Flash mob "St. George's Ribbon". 05/04/2017.
✪ Flash mob "St. George's Ribbon". 04/28/2016. Kirovsk LO.
✪ Igor Rasteryaev “St. George’s Ribbon”
The idea to hold the action arose due to the success of the “St. George’s Ribbon” campaign in the country and in St. Petersburg.
Conducted by the government of St. Petersburg “In memory of the feat of Leningrad and its defenders.”
The action again started at noon on January 20, 2014 on Nevsky Prospekt near the Griboyedov Canal and took place until January 27 inclusive as part of citywide events dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
During the event, the organizers distributed 1 million copies of the “Leningrad Victory Ribbon” in St. Petersburg. Those wishing to take part in the action could receive free ribbons on January 26 and 27 at Sberbank branches, post offices, and at twelve central metro stations.
Ribbons were also awarded to all participants in the following citywide festive events:
Each ribbon cost the budget of St. Petersburg 3.5 rubles, so a total of 3.5 million rubles were spent on their production.
On all days of the campaign from January 20 to 27, Leningrad Victory Ribbons were distributed by volunteers at all metro stations from 17:30 to 19:30. Also, ribbons were distributed free of charge through the administrations of St. Petersburg districts, in schools, in public, youth and veteran organizations, in Sberbank branches, in post offices, in Petroelectrosbyt payment acceptance centers and in regional multifunctional centers for the provision of public services in St. Petersburg.
The city committee for press and interaction with the media, which coordinated the action, ensured the production of 2 million commemorative ribbons. The St. Petersburg budget allocated 3.92 million rubles for the event in 2014
And it took place as part of citywide events to prepare and conduct the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade during the Great Patriotic War.
The ribbon distributed as part of the campaign is a small strip of fabric in two colors: olive and green. The olive color of the ribbon symbolizes Victory, and green is the color of life. They also repeat the colors of the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” - the main award of the siege survivors.
The idea to hold the action arose due to the success of the St. George's Ribbon campaign in the country and in St. Petersburg.
During the event, the organizers distributed 1,000,000 copies of the “Leningrad Victory Ribbon” in St. Petersburg. Those wishing to take part in the action could receive free ribbons on January 26 and 27 at Sberbank branches, post offices, and at twelve central metro stations.
Ribbons were also awarded to all participants in the following citywide festive events:
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Image of the ribbon used in the St. George's Ribbon campaign. This article is about the campaign. About the ribbon from the times of the Russian Empire for the Order of St. George ... Wikipedia
It is proposed to rename this page to Symbolic Ribbon. Explanation of the reasons and discussion on the Wikipedia page: To rename / December 22, 2012. Perhaps its current name does not correspond to the norms of the modern Russian language... ... Wikipedia
An example of a symbolic ribbon: a red ribbon is a symbol of solidarity with HIV positive people and patients who have developed AIDS. A symbolic ribbon (or notification ribbon, from the English Awareness ribbon) is a small piece of ribbon folded into a loop ... Wikipedia
This term has other meanings, see Blockade. Siege of Leningrad Great Patriotic War Second World War ... Wikipedia Wikipedia
Sinyavino Heights is the area around the village of Sinyavino, an elevation of up to 50 m above sea level in the southern Ladoga region, where in 1941-1944. Fierce fighting took place during the Battle of Leningrad. Victory in these battles guaranteed the side... ... Wikipedia
22:23 — REGNUM In St. Petersburg, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the complete liberation of the city from the fascist blockade, the “Leningrad Victory Ribbon” campaign was launched, the correspondent reports IA REGNUM.
The children of the siege who participated in the ceremony at the Leningrad Bakery Plant named after S.M. were the first to receive ribbons. Kirov - he baked bread during the war, despite the shelling and bombing. It was supposed that veterans who worked at the enterprise during the siege years were supposed to meet there, but in the end there were no such veterans - the siege survivors who lived through the tragic days as children met with journalists and officials.
“It was very scary. I tell everyone that I have a war - these are rats that ran around the apartment and miraculously did not eat me or bite my sister. Because my younger sister kept asking for food, she cried, and I told her fairy tales, apparently the movement and voice scared me away and thus we remained alive,” — said Lyudmila Koryakina, who was five years old at the start of the war.
She remembered that she and her sister went to kindergarten in 1943, where they were protected by teachers, whom she now always remembers with such warmth and respect that “I would give medals to everyone.”
“The first 125 grams of bread were the most significant in my life, because it was the most terrible time of the blockade - 1941-1942. And my mother gave us her bread. She cuts it into small pieces and leaves. As an adult, I asked her why she left. She replied that she could take it away because hunger is scary,” - says the siege woman.
During a tea party, the head of the Committee for Press and Interaction with the Media of St. Petersburg congratulated the siege survivors on the upcoming memorable date. Sergey Serezleev.
Volunteers distributed light green ribbons, which first appeared on the military medal “For the Defense of Leningrad,” to all participants in the event. In total, almost 1.5 million ribbons were prepared in St. Petersburg; from January 9, they can be obtained at Russian Post, Sberbank, MFC and Petroelectrosbyt payment acceptance centers.
In addition, from January 18 to 27 from 17:00 to 18:00, volunteers will distribute ribbons at metro stations.
Each siege survivor was also presented with a memorial sign “In honor of the 75th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.”
Then, at the Writers' Book Shop on Nevsky Prospekt, which also did not close during the blockade, a prose writer and veteran of the Great Patriotic War presented his book “In Memory of the Fallen” Anatoly Belinsky, who was born on October 20, 1926.
He served in the ranks of the Soviet Army from February 1944 to January 1956. After service, he worked as a turner at a factory, graduated from the Literary Institute named after A.M. Gorky, was a guide at the Catherine Palace Museum for several years, and was later elected secretary of the party bureau of the Leningrad Writers' Organization.
“In Memory of the Fallen” is dedicated to Leningrad writers who died in the war or during the siege. It was published in only 100 copies and distributed to large libraries in the city.
Sergei Serezleev said that the committee for press and interaction with the media will undertake the reprint of the book in the amount of 1000 copies and distribute them to the city libraries.
Date of publication: 02/21/2013
On February 21, a presentation of the book “Forever in People’s Memory” took place at school 79 in the Kalininsky district.
The book was presented by Ekaterina Alekseevna Sushchenko, head of the Children and Youth Public Organization “Memory of the Heart”, teacher of additional education at State Budgetary Educational Institution Secondary School No. 79.
One of the chapters of the book tells us about the “Siege Ribbon” Action, which started on September 5, 2011 and was dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and the siege of Leningrad.
Participants in the action included war veterans, survivors of the siege, and youth from St. Petersburg, Moscow, the Moscow, Leningrad, Vladimir, and Novgorod regions.
“Siege ribbon” - twenty meters by nine and a half meters is an analogue of the blockade ribbon - the moire ribbon of the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”. The olive color of the ribbon symbolizes victory, the green color symbolizes life. War veterans, siege organizations of St. Petersburg, siege survivors living in Moscow and the Moscow region, the St. Petersburg state government institution “Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery”, “Union of Young Petersburgers”, and the local training group “Smena” left their orders and reports on the siege tape. , schoolchildren of the Kalininsky, Moscow, Primorsky, Kurortny, Central, Nevsky, Vyborg districts, the Patriot association of the city of Alexandrov, school No. 1374 of the city of Moscow. The older generation, in their instructions, gave instructions to the younger generation on how to preserve and pass on the memory of the war and the siege. And schoolchildren in their reports talked about loyalty to their fathers and grandfathers.
“Don’t forget about the heroism and dedication of your great-grandparents! Bear the name of a St. Petersburger with pride! Be worthy of those who defended our future!” (blockade survivors of the Kalinin and Petrograd regions).
“Love Russia, love your people and be worthy of our ancestors, who defeated fascism on their land and liberated the world from it” (Moscow).
“We must be worthy of this feat, be worthy of the memory of those who, at the cost of their lives, won Victory for us, who gave us all a future” (St. Petersburg State Institution “Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery”).
“We pledge to remember the valor and perseverance of Leningraders - adults and children, front-line soldiers and home front workers, who did everything for the city to survive and win, and to forever preserve and protect the memory of the generation that defended the independence of our Motherland!!! (students of Lyceum No. 144 of the Kalininsky district of St. Petersburg).
“Our school has a museum of besieged Leningrad. It contains photographs, diaries, letters of people who went through and survived the war. Thanks to the museum, we can feel the grief and pain of people and never forget about the war” (4A, 4B, school No. 1374, Moscow).
On May 30, 2012, the solemn completion of the action took place at the State Museum “Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad” on Victory Square. The “blockade tape” was transferred to the museum for eternal storage.
