74 years since Siege of Leningrad

World War II guns fire a salute during celebrations of the 74th anniversary of the battle that lifted the Siege of Leningrad in St. Petersburg, on Saturday. The city of St. Petersburg, known as Leningrad until the name was changed back in 1991, is celebrating the Soviets’ victory over the devastating Nazi siege.

The city was besieged by German, Finnish and Spanish troops on September 8, 1941, when the Nazis launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union. The blockade was broken on January 18, 1943 but finally lifted on January 27, 1944. Over 1 million people died mainly from starvation during  the nearly 900-day siege. AP/PTI