Russia to Seek That Nazi Atrocities Against Soviet People Be Recognized Genocide

Russia will seek that Nazi atrocities against the Soviet people during World War 2 be recognized inviolably as a genocide, with the siege of Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg) being the worst case of mass murder in the Soviet history, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

"Their actions against the multinational Soviet people fully correspond to the internationally recognized definition of genocide. We will ensure that the assessment of such crimes is inviolable in the system of international law," Putin said at a public concert in St. Petersburg dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad.

The siege was only a part of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and those who served them and their idea of Lebensraum, or "living space for the so-called higher race," Putin said.

"The siege of Leningrad will forever remain in history as the most terrible example of mass murder of Soviet citizens. More than 1 million people died of hunger and disease in the city, mostly elderly people, women, and children. This number is difficult to comprehend and imagine," Putin stated.

Earlier in the day, Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko unveiled a new monument in St. Petersburg commemorating the Soviet victims of Nazi atrocities. The 47-meter memorial shaped like an arrow features inscriptions of stories and photos of actual people who fell victim to Nazi atrocities in the Soviet Union during World War 2.

Leningrad had a population of 3 million when it was encircled by Nazi German forces shortly after the start of the invasion in 1941.

The 872-day siege was fully lifted on January 27, 1944. By that time, no more than 800,000 of some 3 million residents of what is now St. Petersburg were still alive.

US, UK and German diplomats also came to the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery in St. Petersburg on Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of the WWII-time siege of Leningrad.

"Together with the ambassadors of the UK and Germany in Russia, Deputy Chief of Mission Stephanie Holmes laid flowers at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery to pay tribute to the bravery and humanity of the people of Leningrad and express our deep respect for their unimaginable suffering," the US embassy said on Telegram in Russian.

The Piskarevskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg is the final resting place of half a million people who were buried in mass graves during the war. The siege of Leningrad has become one of the most grueling and memorable sieges in human history.

Aggression Faced by Russia Today Shows Nazism Was Not Eradicated in 1945

Aside from that, at the commemoration ceremony Putin also stated that the aggression that Russia is faced with today shows that Nazism was defeated but not eradicated after the end of World War 2, as nationalism is weaponized across Europe to cultivate revanchism and Russophobia.

"The aggression that Russia is faced with today is a direct testament to the fact that in 1945 Nazism was defeated but not eradicated. Russophobia, xenophobia and nationalism have become weapons in the hands of revanchists in many European countries, the Baltic countries and, unfortunately, in Ukraine," Putin said.