During a visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the airport in the city of Volgograd a new name: Stalingrad. This was done by decree signed after Putin's visit to the city. The measure is intended to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. The city on the Volga River was called Stalingrad until 1961, but was then renamed Volgograd to erase the name of dictator Joseph Stalin.
Putin's decision is seen by observers as part of a growing rehabilitation of Stalin in Russia under his rule. In Volgograd, Putin commemorated the Battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942/43, in which the German Wehrmacht and its allies were defeated. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko also attended the event. Governor Andrei Bocharov stated that the renaming of the airport was a request from World War II veterans and participants in the war against Ukraine.
Under Putin, the Russian government is increasingly trying to portray Soviet victories as purely Russian achievements, even though soldiers from other former Soviet republics also served in the Soviet Army. The renaming of the airport comes ahead of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in 1945. In Germany, the participation of Russian representatives in commemorations of the end of World War II is controversial. The Foreign Office recommended not inviting Russian guests to such events, as Russia could use them to promote its war of aggression against Ukraine.