Josef Stalin had millions of people murdered, and yet the Soviet dictator is celebrated as a hero by many Russians. A day before Kremlin chief Putin’s visit, a bust of Stalin is unveiled in Volgograd. Meanwhile, some politicians and activists are calling for the city to be given its old name – Stalingrad.
A new bust of former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin has been unveiled in Volgograd, Russia, on the occasion of commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the World War I battle in the city formerly known as Stalingrad. According to the Ria Novosti news agency, the monument was unveiled ahead of an act celebrating the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany, which President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend on Thursday. In Russia, the possibility of renaming the city back to Stalingrad has recently been discussed.
In Russia today there are only a few monuments in honor of Stalin, who died in 1953. On the one hand, the former Soviet head of state stands for the victory over National Socialist Germany, but on the other hand for a reign of terror that killed millions of people. To this day, Stalingrad is a symbol of victory over the Nazis in Russia, and the battle plays a central role in the patriotism propagated by the Kremlin.
Pictures distributed by Ria Novosti showed local politicians and representatives of the city of Volgograd at the inauguration of Stalin’s bust. Stalin’s likeness is placed alongside the two generals famous for their roles in the battle: Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky.
At the memorial service, under a gray sky and the eyes of dozens of onlookers, soldiers laid flowers at the base of the three bronze busts. The artist responsible for the work, Sergei Shcherbakov, told the local news portal V1.ru about his work that “everything went very quickly”. “We had to complete the job in a short time,” he said.
In view of the anniversary, voices are growing louder in Russia calling for the city to be renamed Stalingrad. A few days ago, Ria reported that a veterans’ association sent a letter with a request to the deputy head of the Security Council and ex-president, Dmitry Medvedev. The news agency also quoted in an article a foreign intelligence service veteran who advocated renaming the city at an event a few days ago: “Now, while all of NATO is waging a war to destroy our country, the restoration of the heroic examples from our past can be very important”.
In reality, Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. NATO supports the country attacked by Moscow’s troops. Renaming Volgograd Stalingrad will “further inspire our guys fighting there (in Ukraine) against the fascist, nationalist scum,” the veteran stressed, according to the Ria article.
The former short-term Prime Minister of Russia, Sergey Stepashin, also spoke out in favor of the renaming. At a panel discussion a few days ago, the politician claimed that the “absolute majority” of Volgograd citizens would describe themselves as Stalingraders. “Of course, Stalin was controversial in every respect,” the politician said, according to Ria. “But we will never forget the Battle of Stalingrad,” Stepashin justified his move.
Celebrations of the Soviet victory in Stalingrad had begun with wreath-laying at the foot of the Eternal Flame on the tomb of the city’s defenders. February 1 and 2 were declared non-working days in Volgograd by the authorities.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to be there on Thursday to deliver a speech. The Kremlin justifies its offensive against Ukraine, which has been running since February 24, 2022, as a “denazification” operation and thus as a continuation of the fight in World War II. Putin repeatedly refers to the Ukrainian authorities as “neo-Nazis” who, he says, are determined to exterminate the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine.
