A bust of Stalin was installed in Volgograd before Putin’s arrival

In Volgograd, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the USSR in the Battle of Stalingrad, monuments to the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Marshals Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky were opened. They are busts installed on human-height pedestals in the “Battle of Stalingrad” panoramic museum, reports Kavkaz.Realii.

The honor guard laid flowers at the monuments. According to TASS, the ceremony was attended by honorary citizens of the hero city of Volgograd and representatives of the Yunarmiya children’s and youth movement, as well as veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

The Chairman of the Volgograd Regional Duma, Alexander Bloshkin, in his speech called Stalin, Zhukov, and Vasylevsky “the architects of the Stalingrad victory.” “Today, in unfriendly countries, our monuments are being broken, all monuments are being broken that are connected with the name of a Soviet soldier. In our country, the second course has been taken – to preserve the memory of the Great Patriotic War,” said Bloshkin.

At the end of January, it became known about the intention of the authorities of Volgograd to erect busts of the Soviet leader and military commanders of the Second World War. At the same time, the monument to Stalin became the second in the city – in December 2019, local communists installed a sculpture on the territory of the regional committee of the CPRF.

On February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Volgograd on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. Before his arrival, the local authorities adopted a number of security measures, which the residents of the city called unprecedented.

• In 2013, Volgograd deputies decided to install Stalingrad signs at the entrances and exits of the city on commemorative dates – only six days a year – but this time the signs were changed two days before the celebrations, on January 30.
• Volgograd received its modern name in 1961, after the so-called personality cult of Stalin was exposed. Before that, it was called Stalingrad for 36 years. The historical name of the city is Tsaritsyn, after the river Tsaritsyn. It was renamed in honor of Stalin, because he led the defense of the city during the Civil War. During the Great Patriotic War, Stalin was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War, the victory in it meant a turning point in the war with Germany in favor of the Red Army.
• During the years of Stalin’s rule, millions of people became victims of mass repressions in the USSR. After his death, many repressed people were rehabilitated, and objects associated with Stalin, including cities, were renamed. Monuments to Stalin were also demolished.
• In recent years, monuments to the Soviet leader have been erected in a number of Russian cities. As a rule, they are installed on private territory, for example, in the courtyards of regional committees of the CPRF. There are, however, monuments in public places, as in Volgograd.
• In connection with the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad and Putin’s supposed visit to the city, social networks are discussing the hypothetical possibility of renaming the city – back to Stalingrad. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that such discussions were not held in the Kremlin.
• VTCIOM on Wednesday published the results of a survey of residents of Volgograd, 67% of respondents spoke against the renaming to Stalingrad, only 26% were in favor.