Cannibalism During the Siege of Leningrad

•  Context of the Siege: The Nazi blockade of Leningrad (September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944) cut off food supplies, leading to mass starvation. By winter 1941–1942, daily rations dropped to as low as 125 grams of bread (often mixed with sawdust) for civilians. Over 800,000 civilians died, primarily from hunger.

•  (video) Cannibalism Reports:

•  Scale: Desperation drove some to cannibalism, though it was not widespread. Soviet records document around 2,000 arrests for cannibalism-related crimes during the siege, a small fraction compared to the city’s population of ~2.5 million at the start.

•  Types: Two forms were reported:

•  Necrophagy: Consuming already deceased bodies, often from corpses found in streets or homes.

•  Criminal Cannibalism: Rare cases of murder for food, including isolated reports of individuals killing to consume others.

•  Examples: NKVD (Soviet secret police) reports noted cases like a mother feeding her children human flesh or groups scavenging bodies. These were extreme outliers driven by survival instincts.

•  Soviet Response: The authorities harshly punished cannibalism, executing or imprisoning those caught, though they suppressed public discussion to maintain morale. Propaganda emphasized resilience, not desperation.

•  Historical Documentation: Sources like diaries (e.g., those compiled in The Leningrad Blockade, 1941–1944 by Alexis Peri) and NKVD archives confirm these incidents. Survivors’ accounts describe the moral collapse under starvation but also the stigma around such acts.

Broader Context:

•  Cannibalism in Leningrad was a symptom of the siege’s brutality, not a defining feature. Most residents endured through communal kitchens, ration systems, or scavenging inedible materials (e.g., leather belts, glue).

•  The topic remains sensitive in Russia, as it’s tied to the heroic narrative of Leningrad’s survival. Public discussions often focus on resilience rather than these darker episodes.