Putin marks Stalingrad anniversary amid Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday attended commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi forces in the battle of Stalingrad, a long and gruelling fight that resonates in the current conflict in Ukraine.
Putin laid a wreath at the eternal flame of the memorial complex to the fallen Red Army soldiers in Volgograd, the current name of the city, which stretches along the western bank of the Volga River.
The memorial is dominated by an 85-metre sculpture of a sword-wielding woman, Europe’s tallest statue.
The city was renamed in 1961 as part of the Soviet Union’s rejection of Joseph Stalin’s personality cult. But the name Stalingrad
remains inextricably linked to the historic battle that turned the tide of World War II.
The Soviet victory was a major turning point in the European theater of World War II and the battle remains an immense point of pride in modern Russia, lauded as a demonstration of military might and moral seriousness.
As Russian forces struggle to gain ground in Ukraine, lawmakers from the dominant United Russia party have been told to liken the Ukraine fight to Stalingrad, the newspaper Kommersant reported.
Some Russians on Thursday made the connection explicit.
“The achievement of our fathers and grandfathers, showing unprecedented heroism, valour and self-sacrifice during the defense of Stalingrad, still inspires our courageous soldiers who carry out responsible combat missions on the fields of the special military operation and defend the sovereignty, independence and security of our country,” said Russian Orthodox Church head Patriarch Kirill, using the official characterisation of the conflict that began nearly a year ago.
Communist Party head Gennady Zyuganov, after laying flowers at the Unknown Soldier memorial outside the Kremlin, said that he hoped that Russian forces would prevail in Ukraine.
“To do this, it is necessary to adopt the unique experience of the victorious Red Army, the Battle of Stalingrad, Oryol, Kursk,” Zyuganov said. — ap