Known as the 900-day siege, the siege of Leningrad by Axis forces in World War II was one of the longest and most destructive blockades in world history, with some historians even classifying it as a genocide.
In total, roughly 1.5 million people were killed during the siege of Leningrad while some 1.4 million were evacuated. On Hitler's orders, the Soviet city suffered a daily barrage of artillery attacks from the German and Finnish forces that encircled it. The city's water and food supply were cut off and extreme famine soon set in.
The siege of Leningrad began on September 8, 1941, and ended after a grueling two-year period on January 27, 1944. After 872 days of starvation, disease, and psychological torment, the citizens of Leningrad were freed.
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