<P> The city of Leningrad endured more suffering and hardships than any other city in the Soviet Union during the war, as it was under siege for 900 days, from September 1941--January 1944 . Hunger, malnutrition, disease, starvation, and even cannibalism became common during the siege of Leningrad; civilians lost weight, grew weaker, and became more vulnerable to diseases . Citizens of Leningrad managed to survive through a number of methods with varying degrees of success . Since only 400,000 people were evacuated before the siege began, this left 2.5 million in Leningrad, including 400,000 children . More managed to escape the city; this was most successful when Lake Ladoga froze over and people could walk over the ice road--or "Road of Life"--to safety . </P> <P> Most survival strategies during the siege, though, involved staying within the city and facing the problems through resourcefulness or luck . One way to do this was by securing factory employment because many factories became autonomous and possessed more of the tools of survival during the winter, such as food and heat . Workers got larger rations than regular civilians and factories were likely to have electricity if they produced crucial goods . Factories also served as mutual - support centers and had clinics and other services like cleaning crews and teams of women who would sew and repair clothes . Factory employees were still driven to desperation on occasion and people resorted to eating glue or horses in factories where food was scarce, but factory employment was the most consistently successful method of survival, and at some food production plants not a single person died . </P> <P> Survival opportunities open to the larger Soviet community included bartering and farming on private land . Black markets thrived as private barter and trade became more common, especially between soldiers and civilians . Soldiers, who had more food to spare, were eager to trade with Soviet citizens that had extra warm clothes to trade . Planting vegetable gardens in the spring became popular, primarily because citizens got to keep everything grown on their own plots . The campaign also had a potent psychological effect and boosted morale, a survival component almost as crucial as bread . </P> <P> Some of the most desperate Soviet citizens turned to crime as a way to support themselves in trying times . Most common was the theft of food and of ration cards, which could prove fatal for a malnourished person if their card was stolen more than a day or two before a new card was issued . For these reasons, the stealing of food was severely punished and a person could be shot for as little as stealing a loaf of bread . More serious crimes, such as murder and cannibalism, also occurred, and special police squads were set up to combat these crimes, though by the end of the siege, roughly 1,500 had been arrested for cannibalism . </P>

Who lead the soviet union at the end of ww2