Joseph Stalin’s bas-relief returns to Volgograd Medical University after 65 years

A bas-relief of Joseph Stalin has been restored to its original place on the façade of the Volgograd State Medical University, 65 years after it was removed during the Khrushchev-era campaign of "de-Stalinization".

The building, originally constructed as the Higher Party School in Stalingrad, was designed by architects Vasily Simbirtsev and Yefim Levitan. Its main entrance originally featured four profiles — Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Stalin’s image was removed in November 1961, while those of Marx, Engels and Lenin remained.

 

European Communist Initiative: Statement on the 80th Anniversary of the Heroic Battle of Stalingrad

In a statement on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the heroic and decisive victory of the Soviet Red Army against Nazi Germany in Stalingrad, the Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative stresses out:

"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the great Battle of Stalingrad, which was of decisive importance and contribution to the Antifascist Victory of the Peoples, and to the class struggle overall.

Stalin bust unveiled in Volgograd to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Stalingrad victory

A new bust of Soviet leader Josef Stalin has been unveiled in the Russian city of Volgograd ahead of Wednesday's 80th anniversary of the Red Army's victory over Nazi invaders in one of the most significant battles of World War Two.

The bust is flanked by two others - legendary Soviet commanders Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilyevsky - beside the Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad - Volgograd's name from 1925 to 1961, the local news outlet V1.RU reported on Tuesday. 

Stalingrad reloaded: Will the Russian city of Volgograd return to its former heroic name?

The Russian city of Volgograd may return to its former heroic name, Stalingrad, following a referendum that will take place within the next six months.

On Monday 5 December, a committee of experts on the study of public opinion met at the Volgograd Regional Duma in order to discuss the issue of the restoration of the city's old name. Addressing the audience, Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov noted that the issue is of historical importance and a carefully considered decision must be taken, based on the committee's work. 

Pablo Neruda — Song of Love to Stalingrad (1942)

Pablo Neruda, the emblematic communist Chilean poet and diplomat — one of the 20th century's most influential Latin American cultural figures — was significantly inspired by the heroism of the Soviet people in the Second World War. He was particularly impressed by the brave struggle of the defenders of Stalingrad in a battle that played a decisive role in the outcome of the war. 

In 1942, Pablo Neruda wrote the "Song of Love to Stalingrad" (Canto de Amor a Stalingrado), praising the bravery of the Red Army and the Soviet people. What follows is a English translation of this extroardinary poem:

75 years since the victory in Stalingrad: Statement by the European Communist Initiative

On the occasion of the 75 years since the victorious outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad, the Secretariat of the European Communist Initiative issued the following statement:

On February 2 75 years will have passed since the end of the Battle of Stalingrad, with the complete victory of the forces of the Red Army and the crushing of the Nazi armies, something that constituted the beginning of the radical change of tide in the war in favour of the USSR and more generally laid the foundations for the Anti-fascist Victory of the Peoples.