WAR IN UKRAINE
Kremlin trying to change Volgograd’s name back to Stalingrad
Vladimir Putin’s party is rehabilitating the image of the former Soviet dictator and comparing the war in Ukraine with the bloody battle of World War II
Javier G. Cuesta
Moscow, 2 February 2023
Vladimir Putin once confessed to the American filmmaker Oliver Stone that “Stalin was a product of his time.” The Soviet dictator was, in the eyes of the Russian president, a historical figure victim of “excessive demonization.” Now, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities are pressing to rename the city of Volgograd and call it Stalingrad, as it was known until 1961. The president is visiting the city on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of a tide-turning victory in the war against Nazi Germany. The glories of the past, even those attributed to Stalin, have become a very valuable political asset for Putin as he seeks to justify his actions in Ukraine.