The Russian Center of Science and Culture in Rome congratulated the blockade women with the 74th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad

On the eve of the 74th anniversary of the lifting of the siege of Leningrad, the staff of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Rome congratulated the survivors of those terrible years, Klara Averyanova and Nadezhda Kirilovna Nikolaeva. Blockade women, now living with their families in Rome, were given bouquets of roses and gifts with wishes of excellent health and happiness.

Klara Vasilievna was born in Kalinin (now Tver) on September 24, 1927. In besieged Leningrad she spent almost all of 900 days. During the air raid, she, along with the other teenagers, went up to the attic. Shovels or mites, children grabbed incendiary bombs that broke through the roof, and were thrown into drums with water or into boxes of sand to extinguish them.

Nadezhda Kirillovna met the staff of the RCSC as old friends: the Rossotrudnichestvo office congratulates her every year since the blockade woman, due to health reasons, moved to her daughter in the Italian capital. Over a cup of tea, Nadezhda Nikolaeva shared her memories that entered the chronicle of the heroism of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War, performed several couplets from songs of those years. About the beginning of the 40's, the blockade speaks with tears in her eyes: "This is a pain! You understand, I read poetry to you, sang songs, but this pain - it remains".

The offensive of the Nazi troops on Leningrad began on July 10, 1941. On August 30, the Germans cut the railways connecting Leningrad with other Russian cities. On September 8, 1941, the Wehrmacht captured Shlisselburg and blocked Leningrad from the land. The almost 900-day blockade of the city began, the communication with which was supported only by Lake Ladoga and by air.

The siege of Leningrad was completely removed during the Leningrad-Novgorod operation of 1944. As a result of the powerful offensive of the Soviet troops, the invaders were thrown back from the city. January 27, 1944 was the day of complete liberation of Leningrad from the blockade, a festive salute was given in the city.

The Presidential Library portal features electronic collection "Defence and Siege of Leningrad". The collection includes official documents, cards, leaflets, memos, memoirs, diaries, materials from personal archives, photo and newsreels, wartime newspapers, books, collections of articles, biographies, and scientific and fiction.

According to the portal http://rs.gov.ru.