Volgograd to regain Stalin's name for battle anniversary

The Russian city of Volgograd will call itself Stalingrad again for a few days this year, to mark the 70th anniversary of the epic World War II battle in that city, after local officials approved the measure on Thursday.

The city legislature said Volgograd would be named “hero-city Stalingrad” on February 2, marking the end of the battle and other milestone dates, over half a century after the city's name was changed in 1961, following the campaign against Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's "cult of personality."

The decision was made “after numerous requests” from World War II veterans, the city government said in a statement.

The city decree means the city’s old name – Stalingrad - can be used at demonstrations, in speeches and official reports on at least six dates starting this year, including Victory Day (celbrated in Russia on May 9), November 19 (the launch of the counterattack in Stalingrad) and September 2 (marked in Russia as the end of World War II), and other war-related occasions.
The massive battle started on July 17, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943. A total of around two million people were killed on both sides.

Earlier this week, a group of activists from the Communist Party and Trade Union of Russian Citizens movement collected over 50,000 signatures in a petition asking President Vladimir Putin to rename the city, which has a population of one million, as Stalingrad. Putin has not yet commented on the proposal.

Russian and German symphony orchestras will perform together at a concert in the city on Sunday as part of the celebrations.