Russia marks 80th anniversary of the siege of Leningrad
St Petersburg has been marking the 80th anniversary of its complete liberation from the Nazis and the end of one of the most brutal sieges in history. The Nazi siege of Leningrad lasted nearly two-and-a-half years until it was finally broken by the Soviet Army on 27 January, 1944. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than one million Leningrad residents died of hunger and air and artillery bombardment in one of the most horrifying episodes of World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a native of the city, was leading events on Saturday marking the end of the b...