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“The Blockade Circle will be Broken”

On January 27, 2019, we celebrate the Day of Military Glory of Russia: it is the 75th anniversary of complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade. Almost 900 days and nights the city on the Neva lived fighting in a total blockade. The citizens, its defenders, starved and lacked sleep, but they bravely endured bombing and shelling. They withstood everything and did not surrender responding with a blow to the blows of the invaders.

During those years all the country worried greatly about the fate of Leningrad citizens overcoming incredible ordeals and helped them whatever she could.

Late in February 1942, M.A.Sholokhov was invited to speak over the All-Union radio. In the radio committee he met with Olga Berggolts who came from the besieged Leningrad in order to recite on the radio some fragments from her poem “February Diary” written by her on the blockade days. Later O.F.Berggolts wrote in her diary: “On the initiative of Sholokhov, the “February Diary” and later “Leningrad Diary” were published (in the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda”). The readers enthusiastically responded to them on all the fronts”.

Some days later, M.A.Sholokhov met with Olga Berggolts again. He gave her a small text entitled “A Letter to Leningraders” and asked: “When you come home, please, read it to my dear Leningraders”. Sholokhov wrote:

“Dear comrades Leningraders! We know how difficult it is for you to live, work and fight while in the enemy blockade. You are constantly remembered on all the fronts and everywhere in the rear. And the steel worker in the far Urals looking at the hot metal stream thinks about you and works tirelessly to speed up your release hour; and the soldier crashing the enemies in Donbass kills them not only for his offended Ukraine, but also for those great sufferings that enemies have caused to you, Leningraders… We are eagerly waiting for the moment, when the blockade circle will be broken and the great Soviet Country will nestle up her long-suffering, heroic sons and daughters of the eternally glorified Leningrad to her breast. M.Sholokhov. 1942”.

Undoubtedly, Sholokhov’s words reached Leningraders helping and giving the compatriots a moral support in their fight against the fascist aggression.

Alexey Kochetov