Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov congratulated residents on the 80th anniversary of the Leningrad victory and thanked the veterans “for the unconquered and preserved city.”
“Eternal memory to those who fell in the battle for Leningrad. Low bow to the living defenders and residents of the besieged city,” the governor said.
He recalled that 80 years ago the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts pushed the enemy back almost 100 kilometers. “But not only military success was important. Operation “January Thunder” buried the Nazi plans to wipe our city off the face of the earth, destroy its inhabitants and its rich cultural heritage. Everything that we love and are proud of today. Leningrad survived. Bombing and artillery shelling, hunger and frost did not break him,” Beglov said.
According to him, the blockade did not just change the idea of fortitude and human capabilities – “it gave an example of unimaginable perseverance.” “In the ring of fire, people daily performed feats that formed the great feat of unconquered Leningrad,” the governor added.
He also said that, on the instructions of the president, the city collected a lot of evidence from the lives of ordinary Leningraders, doctors, teachers, engineers, and workers. “Their stories were included in new books for the anniversary exhibition, plays and films, and theatrical performances. We rediscovered a lot of personal diaries and memories. We continued the siege book by Daniil Granin. Now these stories of ordinary people will remain with us forever. We will raise our descendants with them,” concluded Beglov.
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