The Federal Law amends Article 1 of Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995, On Days of Military Glory and Commemorative Dates in Russia, establishing August 9 as a day of military glory in Russia: the Day of the End of the Leningrad Battle (1944).
On this day in 1944, Commander of the Karelian Front Kirill Meretskov signed the order concluding the Vyborg-Petrozavodsk offensive, which marked the final victorious phase of the Leningrad Battle. The battle comprised a series of defensive and offensive operations conducted by Soviet forces between July 10, 1941 and August 9, 1944, to defend Leningrad and defeat the German Army Group North and Finnish troops stationed between Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga, as well as on the Karelian Isthmus.
At various stages, the Leningrad Battle involved six fronts, the Baltic Fleet, three flotillas, long-range aviation units, air defence forces, and partisan formations. Over 50 enemy divisions were crushed during the battle.
The outcome of the Leningrad Battle ensured not only the complete elimination of threats to Leningrad but also the liberation of the Leningrad, Pskov, and Novgorod regions, as well as Karelia, and the eradication of the so-called “Finnish blockade link.”
Recognising August 9 as a day of military glory underscores the military and strategic significance of the Leningrad Battle as the longest engagement of the Great Patriotic War and immortalises the heroic deed of the defenders of Leningrad.