Press Release, 27.01.2016

On 27 January, the anniversary of the siege of Leningrad, leaders and activists of the YABLOKO party laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The action was attended by YABLOKO Chair Emilia Slabunova, Deputy Chair Nikolai Rybakov and members of the Federal Political Committee Grigory Yavlinsky and Sergei Mitrokhin.

“The day the siege of the Leningrad was lifted is the memorial day of the unexampled bravery in the history of humankind. And the main thing is that millions of people kept their human dignity in inhuman conditions. It was extremely difficult but the heroic deed, performed by the people who had withstood the siege, shows the incredible steadfastness of our nation.
We have the right not only to be proud but we must always remember about the examples of courage, respect and love for our homeland, for such a city as St.Petersburg”, commented Grigory Yavlinsky, Chair of YABLOKO Federal Political Committee.

YABLOKO Chair Emilia Slabuniva reminded of the heroism of the Leningrad residents – from children to elderly people – and provided the activity of Nikolai Vavilov’s Plant Research Institute as an example, when the staff preserved tens of tons of seeds of different cereal crops for scientific purposes, though they could have used them to sustain their lives.

“My personal impression has been very strong ever since I was a child, one of the most emotional episodes [of my life] is the film “Winter Morning” which I saw in my childhood. It is about a girl, who was of the same age as me at that time, who was left all alone with her four-year-old brother after their mother’s death. In that city, with a baby in her arms. It was such a shock which showed me all one needs to know about a war.

I really want to say thank you to the people who survived the siege and managed to keep human dignity. Their courage  will inspire us for many years and will show us the example of true patriotism. And, of course, I would like to wish everyone never to experience such horrors,” Emilia Slabunova said.

The memorial action was conducted by the St.Petersburg branch of YABLOKO as well. The delegation of the regional branch headed by Chair Mikhail Amosov laid flowers and wreaths at the memorial of the siege victims at Piskaryevskoye Cemetery.

YABLOKO conducts this memorial action annually.

The Siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days, from 8 September 1941 through to 27 January 1944. According to different estimates, from 600,000 to 1.5 million people died over the years of the siege.