In Volgograd, rally demands to rename city to Stalingrad

Today, Volgograd hosted a rally in memory of the Soviet counterattack in the Stalingrad Battle. Its participants demanded to return the name of Stalingrad to the city.

About 150 persons gathered in the square and held – apart from the flags of the CPRF (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) – also flags of the "Trade Union of Russian Citizens" and the public movement "Essence of Time". A poster "Thanks for the Victory!" was set up near the monument to Lenin.

During the rally, signatures were collected for renaming the city. The activists also adopted a resolution demanding to return the name of Stalingrad. They plan to continue collecting signatures hoping to reach 100,000, needed to initiate legislation and rename the city by February 2.

Other demands include providing children of Stalingrad with the benefits similar to those granted to children of besieged Leningrad and naming streets and other objects in different cities of Russia in honour of heroes of the Stalingrad Battle. These proposals will be sent to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Government, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education and Sciences of Russia, as well as to the country's regional legislative assemblies.