The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade, was a siege in Leningrad during World War II. The siege started on 8 September 1941, when the last road to the city was severed. Although the Soviet Union forces managed to open a narrow path to the city on 18 January 1943, the siege was only stopped on 27 January 1944, 872 days after it began. It is thought of as one of the most destructive sieges ever to happen. It was possibly the heaviest in terms of casualties, killing over 1 million innocent people.