Solemn Mourning Ceremony Held at Piskarevskoye Memorial on Day of Remembrance of Victims of Siege of Leningrad

Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko made an address to the residents and veterans of St. Petersburg on the occasion of the anniversary of the beginning of the siege of Leningrad.

“No matter how many years pass, we will remember everything connected with the terrible ordeals endured by the Leningrad residents. Our peaceful life was paid for by the suffering of hundreds of thousands of innocent victims. Hunger, cold, bombing, artillery shelling, loss of relatives and loved ones did not pass over any family”, – the appeal says.

Valentina Matvienko noted that the siege of Leningrad is not only a symbol of the heroism of its defenders, but also an example of true spiritual courage and colossal moral strength of the people who defended the city, who did not allow the enemy to raze it to the ground and destroy its unique centuries-old culture.

On the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Siege of Leningrad, a solemn mourning ceremony was held at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Flowers and wreaths were laid at the foot of the monument “Motherland” by citizens, representatives of authorities, public and international organizations

The delegation of the IPA CIS Secretariat took part in the ceremony. The delegation consisted of Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy, his deputies – plenipotentiary representatives of the parliaments: the Republic of Belarus – Viktor Kogut, the Republic of Kazakhstan – Askhat Mukashev, the Russian Federation – Irina Sokolova, the Republic of Tajikistan – Abdukhalil Gafurzoda, Deputy Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat – Director of the International Institute for Monitoring the Democracy Development, Parliamentarianism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of IPA CIS Member Nations (IPA CIS IIMDD), Doctor of Law, Professor Ivan Mushket, other staff members of the Secretariat of the IPA CIS Council.

The delegation laid flowers at the monument “Motherland”, as well as at the memorial plaques erected in memory of the defenders of Leningrad – natives of the USSR republics.