The University’s academics take part in events to mark the Day of the complete lifting of the Siege of Leningrad

The series of commemorative events began with a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial plaque reading, "Citizens! During shelling, this side of the street is the most dangerous". Similar signs were placed throughout Leningrad on the northern and northeastern sides of streets, as the city was shelled from the south and southwest. Representatives from educational institutions gathered to honour the memory of the residents of besieged Leningrad. Among those present were Anna Volkova, Director of the St Petersburg branch of the Russian Society "Znanie", Professor at St Petersburg University, along with lecturers and employees of the Znanie society.

As part of a collaboration with cultural and educational institutions in St Petersburg, a lecture series titled "Life in Besieged Leningrad" was held at Olga Bergholz Library No 3. The participants discussed significant events from this tragic period in the Russia’s history. Professor Mikhail Khodiakov, Head of the Department of Contemporary History of Russia at St Petersburg University, spoke about the organisation of work at food industry enterprises in the besieged city. Natalia Semenova, Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Russian Literature at St Petersburg University, analysed contemporary plays staged at St Petersburg theatres that are based on documentary sources about the Siege of Leningrad. She highlighted how theatre art helps to preserve the memory of the past and strengthens the connection between generations.

The next lectures in the series were held on 7 and 20 February. Elena Tverdiukova, Professor in the Department of Contemporary History of Russia at St Petersburg University, discussed motherhood in the besieged city. Olga Gavrilova, Associate Professor in the Department of Contemporary History of Russia at St Petersburg University, shared stories of Leningrad residents who survived the Siege.

St Petersburg University professors engage with local students to foster a respectful attitude toward Russia’s history. Mikhail Khodiakov shared statistical data on the Siege of Leningrad with students from the College of Economics and Business at the Anatoly Sobchak International Banking Institute. Additionally, Associate Professor Lidiia Soprun, an epidemiologist at the Pirogov Clinic for High Medical Technologies at St Petersburg University, discussed with students from General Secondary School No 31 the work of medical professionals during the Siege and the challenges of food supply to the besieged Leningrad.

"One of the concepts related to the work of sanitary doctors in besieged Leningrad is 'Sanitary Terror'," said Lidiia Soprun. "During the Siege, preventing infectious diseases was crucial for preserving human life. The fascists aimed to conquer the city not only through starvation but also by causing outbreaks of infectious diseases, which they believed would lead to widespread panic and death. The resilience of the human spirit played a significant role in survival.'

Notably, this year also marks the beginning of a new tradition by the Russian Society "Znanie", which organised awareness-raising lectures on board the Sieged-time Tram running along its historical route. In 2024, the federal initiative was launched by Aleksandr Bolshev, Doctor of Philology and Professor in the Department of the History of Russian Literature at St Petersburg University. The initiative has been supported by lecturers from the Znanie society, including Aleksei Volkov, Head of the North-West Territorial Administration at JSC Russian Post, and Vitalii Orlianovskii, Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Methods of Teaching History and Social Sciences at Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia.