 The Germans had suffered nearly 72,000 casualties, lost 85 artillery pieces ranging in caliber from 15 cm to 40 cm, and were pushed back between 60 and 100 kilometers from Leningrad to the Luga River.After Operation Barbarossa, German troops had encircled Leningrad, and the Siege of Leningrad began.Several operations had been designed by the Soviet commanders in the area to liberate the outskirts of Leningrad from the Germans.