A memorial to the victims of the siege was opened the right of the main cemetery entrance on 27 January 1965, the 21st anniversary of the lifting of the siege. A four-span portico sits on a high base, with five monumental sculptures depicting the defenders and workers of Leningrad. In front of the portico is a granite cube with an eternal flame and a platform paved with black labradorite. It stands on the site of sixteen mass graves from the time of the siege. The Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery is the usual place for the main commemorations of the siege, with the Seraphimovskoe Cemetery often commemorating other military events, including Victory Day on 9 May, the anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan (15 February), the deaths of troops from the 76th Guards Air Assault Division in the Battle for Height 776 during the Second Chechen War (1 March), the Day of the Airborne Forces (2 August) and the foundation of the OMON (4 October).