Siege of Leningrad.
On the January 27th we celebrated one of the memorable events in the history of
Russia - the 70th anniversary of lifting of the siege of Leningrad. It’s a moving
occasion because almost every family in our country remembers the Great
Patriotic War and dates connected with different important events which took
place during it. As for Leningrad, those 900 days of blockade were really the days
of pain, fear and death. As Leningrad was surrounded with Nazi troops no one
could leave or enter its gaits. There was terrible lack of food, water and medicine.
People suffered from starvation and different illnesses. But they didn’t give up
working and struggling, they didn’t surrender. They showed a good example to all
people in the USSR. And today we remember those heroes who saved the city
from Nazis; we remember their patriotism and courage. So, that terrible page of
Leningrad history started in September, 1941. First of all, Nazis wanted to take
the city by storm but their plans failed as they met really stubborn resistance. The
siege began when they decided to form a ring around the city. Bombs and shells
exploded in the streets, air-raid sirens sounded over and over again. Houses were
burning and this dance of death had no end. People were dying from explosions,
fragments of shells and wounds. But they didn’t stop producing bullets and shells
at the factories and those supplies were taken to the front’s needs every day by
trucks using the "Road of Life" - the road which lay across the ice of Lake Ladoga.
Those trucks were bringing water and bread, as there were no more
opportunities to give food to the besieged city. To their way back they took
supplies and people - first of all, children. This way they saved a lot of citizens of
Leningrad but, of course, not all. And now, 70 years after the lifting of the
blockade, we understand, how strong and brave were those people who would
better die but not surrender.