The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade, was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German army to capture the city of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). The siege started on 8 September 1941 and ended on 27 January 1944 after a period of 872 days. The siege resulted in the largest loss of life ever known in a modern city. Up to 1.5 million soldiers and civilians died during the siege and of the 1.4 million more who were evacuated, many died due to starvation and bombardment.