Putin marks 81st anniversary of lifting of Leningrad siege

The Russian president took part in a commemorative ceremony and met living veterans of the Second World War

Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the 81st anniversary of the breaking the siege of Leningrad (present-day St Petersburg) on Monday, handing out commemorative medals to veterans of the war.

The president laid flowers at the memorial at the so-called Nevsky Pyatochok, a crucial b