Press Release, 27.01.2026

Photo: Delegation from St.Petersburg Yabloko during the flower-laying ceremony on 27 January 2026 / Photo by St.Petersburg Yabloko

Leaders and activists from Yabloko laid flowers at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in St.Petersburg and in the Alexander Garden in Moscow in memory of those who perished during the Siege of Leningrad. Today, 27 January 2026, marks 82 years since the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.

In St.Petersburg, Yabloko members who came to honour the memory of those who died in the besieged city included Olga Shtannikova, Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St.Petersburg, Deputy Chairs of St.Petersburg Yabloko Dmitry Anisimov and Ilya Kiselyov, and other party members and candidate members.

“The Siege of Leningrad is the most terrible tragedy in our city’s history. There are probably hardly any families it did not affect. Several generations of residents have grown up with the memory of the blockade, and today, on the 82nd anniversary of the complete liberation from the blockade, this memory reminds us once again how precious human life is, and how important efforts to preserve life and peace are. Eternal memory to the Leningraders who defended our city, and our care for those who remain with us,” Alexander Shishlov, Head of the Yabloko faction in the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly emphasised.

In Moscow, Yabloko Chair Nikolai Rybakov brought flowers to the Leningrad slab in the Alexander Garden and honoured the memory of those who defended the city, endured inhuman conditions and gave their lives in that unparalleled struggle against hunger, cold and the enemy.

Photo: Nikolai Rybakov during the flower-laying ceremony in the Alexander Garden in Moscow / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

“Under such conditions, dehumanisation in Leningrad was the shortest path to death, whilst adherence to moral standards and the preservation of one’s humanity was the only way to survive not only physically but also spiritually,” Nikolai Rybakov emphasised. “To preserve one’s dignity is a daily conscious choice for everyone – to remain human despite circumstances that push you towards manifestations of malice, hatred and aggression. And they never said of Leningraders that they ‘endured’ the blockade; they withstood the blockade.”

On 27 January 1944, as a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive Operation, the Nazi forces near Leningrad were defeated and the 872-day siege of the city was finally lifted.

The Siege of Leningrad lasted from 8 September 1941 until 27 January 1944. During this time, 107,158 high-explosive and incendiary bombs and over 150,000 heavy artillery shells were dropped on the city. According to various estimates, between 632,253 and 1.093 million people perished in Leningrad during the years of the blockade.