Video lecture "Children of Besieged Leningrad in Western Siberia" spotlighted at the Presidential Library

January 27, 2021, 10:00 Moscow time, the Presidential Library hosted a video lecture entitled “Children of Besieged Leningrad in Western Siberia”, timed to coincide with the 77th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi siege. The key topic of the event was the fate of orphans who were able to be evacuated from the besieged city.

The event was free. The meeting was held remotely and was broadcasted live on the Presidential Library's portal in Live broadcasts section in accordance with the program of live events, on the institution's YouTube channel and VKontakte social network.

The event was attended by a resident of besieged Leningrad - Valentina Bagrova, who today heads the Kuzbass voluntary society "Residents of besieged Leningrad". She will talk about her childhood in the besieged city and about her evacuation to Kuzbass.

Tatyana Pavlova, chief archaeographer of the department for the use and publication of documents of the State Archives of Altai Territory also spoke at the video lecture. She told about the evacuation of Leningrad orphanages during the Great Patriotic War to Altai Territory.

In her turn, journalist Elena Chekhova told about the way Altai Territory received thousands of children from besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War, for many of whom Siberia became their second homeland. She told how memorable dates were celebrated in the region today - the Days of the Breakthrough and the Complete Lifting of the Siege of Leningrad.

Journalist Yulia Korneva presented to the participants of the video lecture a documentary film "Children of Narym", dedicated to orphanages in Narym Territory, where children from besieged Leningrad were accommodated. The film was based on the memories of the pupils of these orphanages.

Lyudmila Pril, deputy director of the Center for Documentation of Contemporary History of Tomsk Region, told how many children were evacuated to Western Siberia, how they were assigned to child care facilities, what conditions were created for their living. In addition, the participants will learn how and when the process of returning children back to Leningrad took place.

The Library library’s materials which are presented in the special digital collection The Defense and Siege of Leningrad will illustrate the tragic days of the siege and liberation of the city. They include official documents, photographs, newsreels, testimonies of participants in combat battles, personal diaries of the blockade, etc.