[1] With the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Starikov received command of the 19th Rifle Corps, part of the 23rd Army on the Northern Front.

His unit unsuccessfully defended the Karelian region after Finland invaded to reconquer the territory, lost after the Winter War.

The German high command had planned to finish off the Leningrad siege with Operation Nordlicht but due to the Soviet offensive had to instead use the 11th Army to hold their forward positions.

By September 25th the German forces had encircled much of the 8th Army and on the 29th Volkhov Front commander Kirill Meretskov ordered the Soviet withdrawal.

Nevertheless, the operation was a partial success, establishing a land corridor to Leningrad that enabled far more essential supplies to reach its inhabitants.

[5] In January 1944 Starikov's 8th Army participated in the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, providing vital defense during the Battle for Narva Bridgehead when the German 170th, 11th, and 227th Infantry Divisions under Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz penetrated deep into Soviet lines.

As a subset of the overall Baltic Offensive, 8th Army was part of the Moonsund Operation in November that cleared Axis forces from the West Estonian archipelago.