A new monolith to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was unveiled in the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet success in the fight of Stalingrad-- as Volgograd was understood up until 1961-- a key turning point in World War II.The bust of Stalin was installed near the Battle of Stalingrad Museum together with those of Soviet World War II marshals Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky.
All three monuments were created by carver Sergey Shcherbakov, a Volgograd native.This is the 2nd monument to Stalin to have been unveiled in Volgograd over the last few years.
The first modern-day memorial, a two-meter concrete bust, was opened near the regional Communist Party head office in December 2019 to mark the 140th anniversary of Stalins birth.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is anticipated to visit the city on Thursday, where he will likely participate in a selection of celebratory events to mark the 80th anniversary of the battle that dealt Adolf Hitler his very first surrender in 1943.
According to a law embraced by the Volgograd Duma in 2016, the city goes back to its Soviet-era name Stalingrad on certain public holidays, including Victory Day and the yearly anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad.The citys name was altered pre-emptively on Monday in preparation for Putins see, which, according to regional news outlets, will also involve extensive security checks and traffic limitations.