Russian Leaders Commemorate 80th Anniversary of End of Leningrad Siege Amid Warnings of Potential Third World War

Memorial events attended by Putin and Lukashenko highlight the devastating impact of the siege, as tensions rise amidst ongoing conflicts.

Russian parliamentary leader, Vyacheslav Volodin, issued a warning of a potential third world war during the 80th anniversary of the end of the siege of Leningrad.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attended memorial events in St. Petersburg, including the unveiling of a statue commemorating civilians killed during the Nazi onslaught.
More than 1 million Leningrad residents perished from hunger, or air and artillery bombardments, during the nearly two-and-a-half year blockade by Nazi forces.
An open-air exhibition was set up in central St. Petersburg to remind residents of some of the most harrowing moments in the city’s history, including a typical blockade-era apartment and replicas of trams and ambulances from the early 1940s.
World War II, in which the Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people, is a linchpin of Russia’s national identity.