Amid Ukraine war, Russia unveils new bust of Stalin to commemorate Soviet victory

A new bust of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was unveiled in the southern Russian city of Volgograd Wednesday, formerly known as Stalingrad, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory against Nazi Germany there.

Footage released by the RIA Novosti news agency showed teenagers wearing military-style uniforms pulling down white covers from the busts of Stalin and two Soviet military commanders before baskets of red flowers were laid near the statues.

????In the center of Volgograd, on the eve of the anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, monuments to Stalin, Vasilevsky and Zhukov were inaugurated. pic.twitter.com/29FHIWBR1b

— DAVID ÉIRE – Ireland for the Irish! (@DAVIDOD50) February 1, 2023

The Battle of Stalingrad, which turned the tide of World War II 80 years ago when German forces capitulated to the Red Army, remains a powerful symbol of patriotism in Russia as it presses its war in Ukraine.