Valentina Matvienko: "The heroic stand of Leningrad will live in the minds of generations to come"

May I extend to you my profound gratitude for your stoicism, resilience and courage in the face of the terminal threat that has claimed the better part of Europe as its victim, in the face of inhumanly suffering and trial, effectively stopping the beast from claiming the sacred city of Leningrad. Leningrad stood tall and undefeated.

She went on to express her admiration at the seemingly impossible challenge of bearing the full weight of the hardship of hunger and working at factories for the case of Victory. Yet, that is exactly what you’ve done. A feat unheard of never before in human history.

This is the Day when we kneel before the sacred memory of the defenders of Leningrad perished ay the frontlines and the hundreds of thousands of city residents who succumbed to hunger and deprivation.