The siege commenced on September 8, 1941, when the Wehrmacht cut off the final access road to the city. Despite Soviet troops managing to establish a narrow land passage to the city on January 18, 1943, the Red Army did not fully break the siege until January 27, 1944, a total of 872 days later. This blockade is considered one of the most prolonged and devastating in history, potentially the deadliest due to the high number of casualties it caused. In the 21st century, some historians have labeled it as genocide, citing the deliberate starvation and destruction inflicted on the city’s civilian population.