Ambassador of the Republic of South Ossetia to Russia, Znaur Gassiev, led a column of more than 25 heads of diplomatic missions and representatives of 44 states at the Piskarevskoye cemetery in the solemn funeral ceremony of laying wreaths dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade.
According to the press service of the diplomatic mission, on behalf of people of the Republic, wreaths were laid at the foot of the Motherland monument at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery and at the memorial granite slab opened in honor of the natives of Ossetia - the defenders of besieged Leningrad.
The laying ceremony was attended by the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and members of the Russian government.
The ceremony was also attended by the South Ossetian cadets of the Mikhailovsky Military Artillery Academy, the Army General A.V. Khrulev Military Academy of Logistics, and representatives of the Ossetian community of St. Petersburg.
The siege of Leningrad, which began on September 8, 1941, lasted almost 900 days. During the years of the blockade, according to various sources, from 400 thousand to 1.5 million people died. More than two thousand representatives of Ossetia were fighting in the battles on the Leningrad, Karelian and Volkhov fronts, of whom nine were awarded the high Title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The remains of 576 natives of Ossetia, perished defending the besieged Leningrad, are resting in the Neva Land. In memory of them, on May 7, 2003, a memorial granite slab was unveiled at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery with the inscription: “To the natives of Ossetia - the defenders of besieged Leningrad.”
