Russian President Vladimir Putin said that it is possible to return the name Stalingrad to Volgograd if the majority of the city's residents support this idea, News.bg reports.
“The decision depends on the residents. We will think about it. We need to ask the residents,“ Putin said, commenting on the proposal during a meeting with participants in the marathon “Knowledge. First“, TASS reports.
The president stressed that it is important to first establish the opinion of the majority of Volgograd residents.
“I will think about it, okay,“ he added. “There is definitely logic in this. If we de-ideologize the name to the maximum, then, of course, it is associated with Victory.“
Putin noted that in many European countries, squares and alleys bearing the name “Stalingrad“ have not been renamed.
The idea of returning the name Stalingrad began to be discussed after an activist from the regional public organization “House of Friendship“ made an incorrect comment, thanking the president for renaming not only the Volgograd International Airport, but also the city itself. However, she expressed her positive attitude towards the restoration of the historical name, and another participant from Volgograd supported her words.
The history of the city's name is dynamic: from 1589 to 1925 it was called Tsaritsyn, then it was renamed Stalingrad, and in 1961 it was called Volgograd. On January 30, 2013 The Volgograd City Council decided to establish the name Stalingrad as a symbol of the city, allowing it to be officially used during mass events several times a year.