Germany to Allocate €12 Million for Projects in Memory of Leningrad Siege Victims

• 01.27.2019, 13:01
•  Europe,  EEU,  World

© РИА Новости / Григорий Сысоев

Russian and German Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Heiko Maas have welcomed the German government’s decision to allocate €12 mln ($13.6 mln) for projects in St. Petersburg as a humanitarian gesture and Germany’s recognition of its responsibility for the Nazi-led Siege of Leningrad, ''TASS'' reports. 

"We, the foreign ministers of Germany and Russia, welcome the decision of the German government, which is based on the recognition of the responsibility for the crimes of those years committed by Germany, to make a voluntary humanitarian gesture for those victims of the siege who are still alive. The €12 mln payment will be used to modernize a hospital for war veterans and create in St. Petersburg the German-Russian Center for communication and meetings for members of the public of both countries and those affected by the siege," the statement said.

Lavrov and Maas expressed confidence that "this voluntary act will contribute to improving living standards of the siege victims and will serve for historic reconciliation between the two countries’ peoples as a basis for bilateral relations in the future."

The siege of Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg) is one of the most tragic pages in the history of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. According to various estimates, between 600,000 and 1.5 mln citizens died during the siege. The operation on lifting the blockade began on January 14, 1944. It was completely lifted on January 27, 1944. Leningrad is the only large city in the world’s history that withstood almost 900-day encirclement.