Lenningrad was never entirely encircled by Axis troops. The
Soviet defenders managed to cling to a short section of the
eastern shore of Lake Lagoda, the 17,700 square km lake east of
the city: The lake was used to force a thin trickle of supplies
into the city using water craft in the summer and along an 'ice
road' during the winter. The route was perilous, under attack by
German aircraft and artillery, but was never cut by German
troops or Finish forces from the north. The meagre supply line
remained open for the duration of the siege. In 1943 this 'road
of life' is supplemented by the land corridor opened along the
coast of the Lake by advances made during Operation Iskra. This
allowed a far greater volume of relief into the city. So at this
point the blockade that had resulted in 1.4 million civilian and
military deaths in the city (many from starvation) is broken,
but the siege lines around the city remain until January 1944
when the besieging armies are finally pushed back.