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(Thursday, January 27, 1944; part of the Eastern Front of World War II) — The 872-day siege of Leningrad, a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) on the Eastern Front of World War II, ended today when the Soviet Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive expelled German forces from the southern outskirts of the city.

This was a combined effort by the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts, along with the 1st and 2nd Baltic Fronts.

The Baltic Fleet provided 30 percent of aviation power for the final strike against the Wehrmacht.

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The siege began on Sept. 8, 1941, when the Wehrmacht severed the last road to the city. Germany’s Army Group North had advanced from the south, while the German-allied Finnish army invaded from the north and completed the ring around the city.

Although Soviet forces managed to open a narrow land corridor to the city on Jan. 18, 1943, the Red Army did not lift the siege until today.

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The blockade became one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history, and it was possibly the costliest siege in history due to the number of casualties which were suffered throughout its duration.

An estimated 1.5 million people died as a result of the siege.

At the time, it was not classified as a war crime, however, in the 21st century, some historians have classified it as a genocide, due to the intentional destruction of the city and the systematic starvation of its civilian population.