Volgograd authorities plan to erect monument to leaders of anti-Hitler coalition

As stated by Sergey Bozhenov, Governor of the Volgograd Region, in Volgograd, in preparation for the celebrating of the 70^th anniversary of the Great Victory, it is planned to erect a monument to the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition.

According to the Governor, "it is planned to erect on the embankment the busts of the heads of the states, which took part in the fight against Nazi Germany – Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt and de Gaulle."

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learnt from Yulia Atopova, the head of the press service of the regional administration, now the project of embankment reconstruction is in development and assumes installation of "some architectural structures dedicated to the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition."

Residents of Volgograd are not unanimous about the idea of appearance of the busts of the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition.

"If such a monument appears, it will be good. World War II and the Great Patriotic War are the greatest events of the 20^th century. The monument will symbolize our contribution to the victory. The leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition also contributed a lot. It should be commemorated. In Volgograd, it will be logical and to the place," said Mikhail Tarantsov, a deputy of the Regional Duma.

"I am against such monuments, which are not semantically linked with their place of erection. If one wants to 'tell' about the 'trio' (Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill), do it in a museum. The place in the streets of Volgograd should be given, in the first place, to the people associated with the city or who at least had visited it," said Sergey Sena, the head of the South Federal District (SFD) Branch of the Russian Association of Restorers.

"Stalin killed more his countrymen than Hitler. Then, we have to put Hitler next to the above trio. Erection of such monument will trigger another discord among the society. Today, there are plenty of speculations around the Battle of Stalingrad. This battle has nothing to do with Stalin. Soldiers attacked for their faith and for their homeland. Later, children and grandchildren of many of them were subjected to repressions. Stalin's name is associated with repressions, not with the Victory," Mikhail Rubtsov, the artistic director of the Volgograd music ensemble of ancient music "Concordia" told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.