Putin signs decree renaming Volgograd airport to Stalingrad

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree renaming Volgograd International Airport to its historical name of Stalingrad, a move made official late Tuesday.

The decision was announced following Putin’s visit to the city earlier that day, where he also held talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day.

The decree, published by the Kremlin, stated: “In order to perpetuate the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, I decree to assign Volgograd International Airport with the historical name ‘Stalingrad.’”

The renaming comes as part of Russia’s broader efforts to honor the memory of the Soviet victory in World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender in 1945.

Stalingrad, now Volgograd, was renamed in 1961 under Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during the period of de-Stalinization following the death of Joseph Stalin. The city is historically significant for being the site of the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942–February 1943), a decisive conflict where Soviet forces halted Nazi Germany’s advance toward the Caucasus, at the cost of over a million Soviet soldiers.

Copied