Russia has marked the 70th anniversary of the breaking of the siege of Leningrad during World War II when more than a million people starved to death.
A wreath is laid in memory of those who perished during the 1941-1944 siege of Leningrad, now St.Petersburg. Photo: AFP
President Vladimir Putin on Monday visited the Piskaryovskoe Memorial Cemetery, the main memorial to those who died in the siege of Leningrad, the Soviet-era name of Saint Petersburg.
Mr Putin, 61, who is from the city, has said his elder brother died during the blockade.
The president laid flowers at a memorial on the banks of the Neva River marking the site of one of the most important battles during the siege in which his father took part.
He was later scheduled to meet with war veterans and survivors of the siege and watch a commemorative theatre play.
The 872-day siege between September 1941 - January 1943 is one of the darkest moments in Russian history. According to historians, the blockade of the former imperial capital claimed the lives of more than a million people.
Most died of hunger and their bodies littered the streets for days as the survivors were too weak to bury them.
