Which Soviet city endured a 900-day siege during World War II?

Leningrad was the Soviet city that endured the roughly 900-day siege during World War II. German and Finnish forces surrounded the city, then called Leningrad and now known as Saint Petersburg, from September 8, 1941, until January 27, 1944.

The siege cut most supply routes and subjected civilians to relentless hunger, cold, disease, artillery fire, and bombing. Despite the blockade, Leningrad’s defenders and residents held the city, and the Soviet government maintained a precarious supply route across Lake Ladoga. This route became known as the “Road of Life,” carrying food and evacuating civilians, especially during the frozen winter months.

The siege lasted 872 days, which is why it is often called the 900-Day Siege or Leningrad Blockade. Estimates of deaths vary, but well over a million people died, with starvation accounting for many civilian deaths. Stalingrad was the site of a major battle, while Moscow and Kiev were also important wartime cities, but neither endured this siege.