Images of the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Stalingrad
Russia celebrates this Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, a major turning point in the Second World War.
In the context of the war in Ukraine, these celebrations are particularly exploited by the Kremlin, while Vladimir Putin does not hesitate to draw a parallel between the resistance against Hitler and the offensive against kyiv.
The Kremlin does not rule out renaming Volgograd “Stalingrad”
It is on 60 years of de-Stalinization that Vladimir Putin and his followers could well turn their backs. While the regime has been celebrating the heroism of Soviet soldiers in Stalingrad and their victory since Wednesday, its spokesman has indeed declared to the Russian agency Ria Novosti that the Kremlin does not rule out giving the city back its old name.
The industrial agglomeration in southern Russia was renamed Volgograd – after the Volga, which flows through it – in 1961, a few years after the ruling Communist Party began to denounce the crimes of Stalinism. Dmitry Peskov only indicated that before taking such a decision it would be necessary “to weigh the pros and cons”.
For Lavrov, the United States has “subjugated the European Union”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to Russia 24 and RIA Novosti. He multiplied bellicose statements.
“If you want peace, be ready to defend yourself,” he said, paraphrasing a Latin maxim.
“Moscow is preparing the material for the anniversary of the special operation (the expression used by the Russian government to designate the war, editor’s note) so that it does not turn into an anti-Russian coalition of the West”, he threatened. “The West hopes to strategically defeat Russia so that it cannot recover for decades. We are in the midst of a geopolitical battle,” he said.
And behind “the West”, Sergei Lavrov sees above all the hand of the United States: “The United States has subjugated the European Union and deprived it of any sign of independence, with a totalitarian conception of democracy” .
“The more weapons the West supplies to the kyiv regime, the further it must move away from Russian territory,” he further justified. He also expressed doubts about the German veto against the Ukrainian demand for fighter planes: “Scholz, who promised not to send planes to Ukraine, is known for his ability to change position”.
The Russian-language press reveals that the statue of Stalin inaugurated in Volgograd is located 100m from a memorial to his victims
80 years ago to the day this Thursday, February 2, Nazi troops led by Marshal Paulus capitulated in Stalingrad to the Soviet forces, at the end of one of the most ruthless battles in history.
While these Wednesdays and Thursdays were declared public holidays on the spot – in this city on the banks of the Volga now bearing the name of Volgograd – a bust to the glory of Stalin was unveiled on Wednesday during the celebrations to which the regime of Vladimir Putin intends to give particular resonance in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Medusaa Russian-language news site based in Latvia, revealed on Thursday that it was barely 120 meters from a memorial to the victims of the tyrant’s repression.
Ukrainian authorities welcome arrivals of European Commission President and EU Foreign Minister
Anton Geraschenko, adviser to the Ministry of the Interior, welcomed the joint arrivals of Ursula von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Josep Borrell, who heads EU diplomacy.
“kyiv welcomes Ursula von Der Leyen and Josep Borrell – they come to Ukraine to exchange with members of the government and express their support for our country,” he wrote on Telegram.
Josep Borrell had announced his arrival a little earlier on Twitter.
“Arrived in kyiv to carry the strongest European message of support for all Ukrainians defending their country. European aid has reached 50 billion since the start of the war in Russia”, he notably writing.
“Europe has stood with Ukraine since day one,” he continued, before addressing Ukrainians directly: “And will continue to stand with you to win the war and rebuild.”
“Putin will never attack NATO”: the Ukrainian Defense Minister does not believe in an extension of the conflict
Oleksiy Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraineestimate that the Moscow should “attempt an offensive” around February 24, symbolic date of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. According to the representative of kyiv, the conflict should however be confined to Ukrainian territory and not spill over into neighboring countries.
“I think it’s ruled out and I’ll tell you why. Putin sees how effective NATO weapons are, and that in limited numbers, and how he loses on the ground,” he argues.
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The head of Russian diplomacy accuses the West of wanting to put an end to “the Russian question”
The head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov accuses this Thursday the West of supporting Ukraine to put an end to “the Russian question”, citing by name the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visiting kyiv.
Ursula von der Leyen “said that the result of the war must be the defeat of Russia, and a defeat such that it does not recover for decades”, denounces in a television interview Sergei Lavrov.
“Isn’t this racism, Nazism and an attempt to resolve the Russian question?” he asks.
Austria to expel four Russian diplomats for behavior ‘incompatible’ with their ‘status’
Four Russian diplomats, including two accredited to the United Nations in Vienna, will be expelled by Austria, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Thursday.
They acted “in a manner incompatible with their diplomatic status”, according to the same source.
The expulsion of diplomats is very rare in Austria, a neutral country traditionally close to Russia before the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia celebrates this Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad
Russia celebrates this Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, a symbol of patriotism advocated by the Kremlin.
Occurring between 1942 and 1943, the battle is considered one of the bloodiest in history, with around two million deaths in total on both sides. It is still glorified by Russia, which claims the legacy of the Soviet Union as the event that saved Europe from Nazism.
Vladimir Putin will travel to Volgograd to take part in the celebrations, according to the Kremlin.
European Commission President assures Ukraine of EU support upon arrival in Kyiv
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assured Ukraine of the EU’s full support, arriving in Kyiv on Thursday, accompanied by her commissioners, for a meeting on the eve of an EU-Ukraine summit.
“Good to be back in kyiv, my fourth time since the Russian invasion and this time with my team of stewards,” she wrote on Twitter.
“We are here together to show that the EU stands firmly with Ukraine,” she added.
Poland says willing to send fighter jets to Ukraine with NATO
Poland would be willing to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine if there is a consensus within NATO, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.
“If there was a decision of all (member states) of NATO, I would be in favor of sending these fighter jets,” said Mateusz Morawiecki in an interview with the German daily. Bild.
Last week, the West reached a plateau in military aid to Ukraine when Germany and the United States finally announced the shipment of heavy tanks.
At least 2 dead after strike on residential building in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine
Rescuers are active this Thursday at dawn to try to find survivors in the rubble of an apartment building in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, destroyed by a Russian strike that left at least two dead.
The strike took place on Wednesday around 9:45 p.m. (8:45 p.m. French time) against eight buildings in the center of Kramatorsk, one of which completely collapsed, Donetsk police said on their Facebook account. About 100 police were deployed to search the rubble.
Hello everyone!
Welcome to this direct dedicated to the news of this Thursday, February 2 concerning the Russian offensive in Ukraine.