Russia celebrates the 80th anniversary of the victory at Stalingrad in a full-scale attack on Ukraine

This Thursday, Russia is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. battle for stalingradturning point in World War II and a symbol of patriotism defended Vladimir Putinin full offensive in Ukraine.

The celebrations take place during fierce fighting between Russian troops and Ukrainian soldiers in the former Soviet republic, where Russia has been advancing for almost a year. Kremlin”demilitarize” and “denazify” the neighboring country.

The President of Russia will go to Volgograd to participate in the celebrations, according to the Kremlin.

battle for stalingrad (1942-1943), considered one of the bloodiest in history, with a total of almost two million deaths on both sides, changed the course of the conflict in the Soviet Union, demoralized after several defeats.

Russia, which claims the inheritance USSRcontinues to celebrate this battle as the event that saved Europe from Nazism, a victory whose symbolism grows as the first anniversary of the start of the Russian operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 approaches.

Russia recently succeeded in taking Soledar in eastern Ukraine, the first success of Russian troops in many months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin himself does not hesitate to draw a parallel between resisting Hitler and attacking Ukraine.

“Forgetting the lessons of history leads to the repetition of terrible tragedies. Proof of this are the crimes against civilians, ethnic cleansing and punitive actions organized by neo-Nazis in Ukraine,” he said last Friday on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of the Holocaust.

Controversial statements made by the French Foreign Minister Ekaterina Columndescribed as “terrifying” and “shocking”.

Stalin bust

IN Volgogradwhich from 1925 to 1961 was called Stalingrad, a million-plus city on the banks of the Volga, Wednesday and Thursday were declared non-working days.

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory at Stalingrad, a bust of Stalin was opened in the city, as well as two military leaders Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky, who became famous for their roles in the battle.

After the collapse of the USSR, the Russian authorities took an ambivalent position towards Stalin.

He is officially condemned for state terror, which he orchestrated in the 1930s until his death in 1953, but is buried opposite the Kremlin in Red Square and is still revered by many Russians for his role in defeating Nazi Germany. Soviet Union.

A military parade and a concert will be held on Thursday as part of the celebrations in Volgogradand on Mamaev Kurgan, a strategic hill where terrible battles took place and which is now a place of pilgrimage to pay tribute to the Soviet army, flowers will be laid.

The Battle of Stalingrad, which began in July 1942, lasted 200 days and 200 nights.

The city, turned into a field of ruins, was the scene of devastating German air raids and fierce street fighting.

On February 2, 1943, the troops of the German field marshal Friedrich Paulus they surrendered surrounded by the Red Army, the first capitulation of the Nazi army since the start of the war.

The city was completely rebuilt by order of the Soviet authorities and renamed Volgograd in 1961, eight years after Stalin’s death.

Since 2013, by decision of the local authorities, the city has been renamed Stalingrad six days a year, including February 2, the anniversary of the victory of Stalingrad, and May 9, when Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany. (AFP)