Tanks and air defense missile systems yesterday rolled through the heart of Saint Petersburg as the city, formerly known as Leningrad, marked the 75th anniversary of the end of a World War II siege that claimed more than 800,000 lives.
The parade in Russia’s second city was the first time war-era and modern heavy weaponry, including the famed T-34 battle tank and multiple-launch rocket systems, have trundled past the Hermitage Museum to mark the end of the siege of Leningrad, sparking controversy with some survivors criticizing “militarism.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a native of Saint Petersburg, chose to skip the show of force in the snow-covered Palace Square, though he was due to attend several other commemorative events.
Photo: AP
Among those who succumbed to the deprivations of the siege was Putin’s one-year-old elder brother.
The Kremlin yesterday announced that Putin had signed an order allocating 150 million rubles (US$2.3 million) for creating new exhibits at the state museum of the siege.
More than 2,500 servicemen in modern and period uniforms including sheepskin coats and felt boots took part in the parade, as did 80 units of military equipment.
Photo: AP
Hundreds of spectators watched the performance in falling snow and temperatures of minus-11?C, some wrapped in blankets against the cold.
A moment of silence was observed to the ticking of a metronome used to warn residents about air-raids during the siege. Some clutched flowers and could not hold back tears.
“This is a celebration for the city and the country,” said Ivan Kolokoltsev, a 45-year-old manager. “We have to remember, we have to commemorate it so that people remember.”
Photo: AFP
Natalya Gerashchenko brought her 12-year-old son to see the military display.
“A military parade is very beautiful,” the 35-year-old said. “The lifting of the siege is very important for everyone.”
Encircled by the Nazi troops for 872 days between 1941 and 1944, the city of about 3 million people went through unspeakable horrors. With supplies to the city cut, bread rations plunged to 250g for manual workers and 125g for other civilians.
More than 800,000 people starved to death or died of disease and shelling. Numerous historians say the true figures are higher
Many in Saint Petersburg, including some siege survivors, have denounced the parade as misplaced saber-rattling and militaristic propaganda.
“I am against militarism,” Yakov Gilinsky, an 84-year-old siege survivor, said ahead of the parade. “War is horrible.”
Historian Vyacheslav Krasikov, whose mother and grandmother survived the blockade, has said that conducting the military festivities would be like holding parades at the Auschwitz or Buchenwald concentration camps.
The trauma from the war is deeply ingrained in the collective psyche of the city. Some buildings still carry signs warning residents about air raids and the city is home to about 108,000 war veterans and siege survivors.
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