Governor Alexander Beglov and Chairman of the Legislative Council of St. Petersburg Alexander Belsky, in the space of the patriotic association “Lenreserv”, met with representatives of 50 regions of Russia and more than 40 foreign countries who came to the city on the Neva to participate in commemorative events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the siege.
“Today is January 27 – the day of our Leningrad Victory. Our city was defended from the Nazis by soldiers from all regions of our vast country. We remember that residents of the regions and republics of the Soviet Union accepted the evacuated Leningraders as family. We consider everyone who defended our city and gave their lives, all the blockade survivors who now live in other regions and countries, to be Leningraders,” Beglov said.
The issues of preserving historical memory are extremely important not only for Russians, but also for many people in other countries of the world, which was emphasized by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation Dauren Abaev. “During the terrible days of the blockade, the city residents demonstrated incredible resilience and iron will. Having heard Shostakovich’s legendary 7th symphony on the radio, the enemy realized that the spirit of the Leningraders could not be broken. About a million people were evacuated from besieged Leningrad to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Central Asian republics. For many of them they became a new home. Every fifth resident of Kazakhstan went to the front. Half of them – 600 thousand – died,” Abaev recalled.
According to the governor of the Novosibirsk region, Andrei Travnikov, the greatest tragedy of the Leningrad blockade is “a reproach to today’s united West.” The memory of the war is what unites Russians, whose grandfathers and great-grandfathers won the Victory. This idea was supported and developed by the head of the Samara region, Dmitry Azarov. “The memory of the war and the blockade is passed on from generation to generation. Leningrad has become a real stronghold, a symbol for our entire country, our Victory,” he said, thanking Alexander Beglov for his attention to the siege survivors living in other regions of the country.
“It is difficult to imagine and convey in words what the Leningraders experienced. We never cease to admire and thank them for their perseverance, heroism, for defending and preserving the treasury of world culture – the city of St. Petersburg,” emphasized Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Colombia to the Russian Federation Hector Isidro Arenas Neira, who spoke on behalf of the ambassadors countries of Latin America.
The meeting participants got acquainted with the unique exhibition of Lenrezerv, which includes 150 samples of rare wartime equipment, hundreds of weapons, battle flags, documents and diaries of the war years, soldier medallions found at battle sites and other rarities from the Great Patriotic War.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
