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PREVIEW: St. Petersburg to commemorate 80th anniversary of siege lifting

Dozens of ceremonial and memorial events will be held on the anniversary date in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region

ST. PETERSBURG, January 27. /TASS/. Residents of almost forty countries will gather in the city on the Neva River on the day of complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi siege to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the event known in the history as the Leningrad Victory Day.

Exactly eighty years ago, on January 27, 1944, the Soviet Army managed as a result of the January Thunder operation to completely lift the siege that became not merely the greatest tragedy but also the greatest example of valor and resilience of city residents and defenders.

"The blockade did not merely change the perception of the strength of mind and abilities of human beings - it gave us an example of unthinkable resilience. In the ring of fire, people daily performed feats that formed the great feat of unbowed Leningrad. Every St. Petersburg family has its own siege chronicle," Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov said in his address to city people.

Dozens of ceremonial and memorial events will be held on the anniversary date in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

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