Vladimir Putin on Anniversary of Stalingrad Battle

Russia does not send its tanks to the borders of those who draw the countries of Europe “into a new war” with Moscow, but knows “how to respond.” Vladimir Putin stated this on February 2 at a concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. At the same time, he noted: the Russian Federation can use not only armored vehicles.

This means that Russia will make fuller use of its potential, said the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.

historical memory

On the eve of the president’s visit to Volgograd, there were rumors about the renaming of the city to Stalingrad. However, the Kremlin denied these reports. According to a poll by VTsIOM, the majority of local residents oppose the return of the city’s former name.

Nevertheless, in honor of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army in the Battle of Stalingrad in Volgograd, they nevertheless decided to perpetuate the memory of Joseph Stalin.

The day before the arrival of Vladimir Putin, a new monument to the Generalissimo appeared near the Stalingrad Battle panorama museum, and next to it, two Soviet marshals Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky. They were installed relatively close to the monument to the victims of political repression.

Recall that after the XXII Congress of the CPSU on October 31, 1961, Stalin’s body was taken out of the Mausoleum, and the city of Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd. As a result of de-Stalinization, many monuments to the Generalissimo in the USSR were dismantled.

In particular, in Volgograd they removed the 24-meter Stalin at the entrance to the Volga-Don shipping canal. Instead, after about 10 years, they put an almost 27-meter Lenin.

On February 2, 1943, the USSR defeated Nazi Germany and its allies in the Battle of Stalingrad. The battles continued for 200 days. More than 2.1 million people participated in them at different stages from both sides. This battle changed the course of the war and was a harbinger of the victory of the Soviet army over the fascist troops.

Despite the fact that this year February 2 was declared a day off for local residents, there were not very many people in the city center. Some streets were closed in anticipation of the President’s visit.

Arriving in Volgograd, Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Fame and honored the memory of Soviet soldiers who died during the Battle of Stalingrad with a minute of silence. Then he went to the grave of Marshal Vasily Chuikov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, who was buried on the territory of Mamaev Kurgan, and also laid flowers. During the war years, he commanded the 62nd Army, which became famous for the heroic six-month defense of Stalingrad.

New war

Speaking at a concert in honor of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the battle, the Russian leader emphasized that now “the ideology of Nazism – already in its modern guise, modern manifestation – again creates direct threats to the security of our country, we are again and again forced to repulse the aggression of the collective West”.

“Unbelievable – unbelievable, but true: we are again threatened with German Leopard tanks, on board of which there are crosses, and again they are going to fight with Russia on the soil of Ukraine with the hands of Hitler’s last descendants, the hands of Bandera,” he added. “For those who threaten us, apparently, the simple truth is incomprehensible: all our people, we all grew up and absorbed the traditions of our people with mother’s milk – generations of winners, who created our country with their work, sweat and blood and handed it over to us in inheritance”.

According to him, “the continuity of generations, values, traditions – all this is what distinguishes Russia, makes us strong and confident in ourselves, in our rightness and in our victory.”

“But those who draw the European countries, including Germany, into a new war with Russia and all the more irresponsibly declare this as a fait accompli, those who expect to win a victory over Russia on the battlefield, apparently do not understand that a modern war with Russia will be completely different,” the head of state noted, emphasizing that the Russian side can use not only armored vehicles.

Later, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, explained the words of the head of state that Russia had something to answer for the supply of arms to Ukraine.

“As new weapons supplied by the collective West appear, Russia will make full use of its existing potential in order to respond in the course of a special military operation,” Vladimir Putin specified.

Future without a past

On the same day, the president managed to communicate with members of patriotic and youth organizations. In a conversation with them, he recalled that without knowing the past, the people will never have a future. In this regard, in particular, work will continue to declassify documents from the times of the Great Patriotic War, Vladimir Putin promised.

At the same time, he agrees that the reconstruction of historical events, which helps to recreate a vivid picture of the past, is better than any textbook.

At the same time, the president reiterated that attempts to abolish Russian culture in Western countries are stupid, since Russian classics contribute to the development of the individual and are recognized throughout the world. However, the most important thing, according to him, is that in Russia they understand how important it is “for us, for our country, for our people.”

One of the participants in the meeting suggested organizing a meeting of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the participants in the battle for Leningrad and including it in the plan of events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the city from the blockade during the Great Patriotic War.

The President supported this idea and admitted that for him this city is a special component of his whole life and family.

Another participant of the meeting complained that there is now a lot of conflicting information on the Internet. The girl asked the president for advice on how to find objective data in a large stream of messages. In response, Vladimir Putin noted that someone has always fought with Russia, and this was constantly accompanied by an informational confrontation.

“And some said: how boring it is to live in the world when no one is fighting against Russia. I’m not kidding. These are specific statements of some politicians of the past from Western countries,” he said.

The President noted that now the main task is to ensure the preservation of Russia, create conditions for its development and strengthening.