Germany accepts historical responsibility for the crimes of German troops committed during the siege of Leningrad, the German Foreign Ministry has said.
“Germany stands for preserving the memory of the horrors of war crimes committed in World War II and recognises its historical responsibility for the crimes committed by the German Wehrmacht in Leningrad,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry pointed out that as a sign of reconciliation and remembrance, the country’s authorities financially support the modernisation of a hospital in St. Petersburg, where many blockade survivors are treated.
A wreath-laying ceremony is being held at the Piskaryovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg at the Mother Motherland monument on the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin laying flowers at the Rubezhny Stone monument.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defence published declassified documents to mark the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade. Among them – descriptions of military operations, maps with the plan of the Soviet command, photo report of the work of the artillery of the Baltic Fleet, award lists of the defenders of the city.
