Veterans awarded the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” and the badge “Resident of Siege Leningrad” will receive badges of honor for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the city. This will also affect people who currently live outside the city on the Neva, including abroad. In total, more than 60 thousand badges will be awarded.
“St. Petersburg is trying to support the residents of besieged Leningrad, regardless of where they currently live. We do not divide the blockade survivors into ours and strangers – they are all dear people to us. We always welcome them to visit, invite them to celebrate memorable dates together, and surround them with care and attention,” Governor Alexander Beglov emphasized.
To mark the anniversary, ceremonial events will be held all over the world in the coming days, and the presentation of memorial signs will be part of them. In October last year, together with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 2.5 thousand signs were sent to Russian diplomatic institutions in 39 countries. It is planned that by January 27, all badges of honor will be presented in a solemn atmosphere to veterans – those who lived in the besieged city for 872 days under shelling and bombing, and after the war helped to restore it.
The award, approved by the government of St. Petersburg, has the shape of a circle. In its central part, against the background of the embankment of the Northern capital and the festive fireworks, the “Mother Motherland” monument is depicted with five red carnations at the pedestal. At the bottom of the sign there is the inscription “1944-2024”.
For the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation from the fascist blockade in St. Petersburg, a large solemn memorial program has been developed. From January 25 to 29, over 50 dear guests – blockade survivors from more than 10 countries – will come to the Northern capital. These include veterans currently living in Abkhazia, Estonia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Lithuania, Germany, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Together with St. Petersburg residents, they will take part in laying wreaths and flowers at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery, and will attend a concert at the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the lifting of the siege. An extensive cultural program has been prepared for them, including a sightseeing tour of the city, visits to museums and exhibitions. Veterans will visit the Museum of Russian Naval Glory and the Stavropegic St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt.
A tour of St. Isaac’s Cathedral and a visit to the exhibition on Manezhnaya Square “Street of Life”, dedicated to the anniversary, are also planned. And, of course, along with all the townspeople, on January 27, veterans will see an artillery salute at the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress – in honor of the unconquered Leningrad, the courage and unbending fortitude of its inhabitants, and the bravery of the WWII soldiers. A gala dinner will also be organized, at which artists from the St. Petersburg Song and Dance Theater “Moroshka” will perform for the guests.
Source: Rosbalt
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