This is Russian president Vladimir Putin posingwith women dressed in historic Red Army uniforms ~ it is very significant, though we may not understand it fully as we read more reports on Western media on opposition to Putin being on the rise ! –
whetheronemay likehimornot,theWorld'smostpowerfulpersonforfouryears running,Russia'spresidenthasexertedhiscountry'sinfluenceinnearlyevery corner of the globe; from the motherland to Syria to the U.S. presidential elections,Putincontinuestogetwhathewants. In2016Russianhackerswere accused of tapping into email accounts owned by members of the U.S. DemocraticPartyinabidtoaidthecampaignofDonaldTrump,whohas regularlypraisedPutin'sleadershipstyle.TheKremlindeniesthecharges,and President-electTrumphasalsodismissedthepossibility ofoutsiderstamperingin the election.
Now comes the news that Vladimir Putin visited an agricultural equipment factory—andquippedthatifheweretoloseupcomingelections,hemight chooseanewcareerinfarming.TheRussianpresidentreportedlymadethe comments while sitting in a combine harvester simulator at a Rostselmash factory in Rostov-on-Don.
Youmay nothaveheardof‘Volgograd’( animportantindustrialcity andthe administrativecenter ofVolgograd Oblast,Russia,situated on the western bank of the VolgaRiver, after whichthecitywasnamed.Youmayrecall itby connectingtoabattle75yearsago!abattle oftenregardedasthelargest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare.
The city’s origin may date back to 1500s ~ over years much water has flown on the river Volga. The city was renamed Stalingrad after Joseph Stalin in 1925. This wasofficiallytorecognizethecity'sandStalin'sroleinitsdefenseagainstthe Whitesbetween1918and1920. Stalinisnolongeramuchsoughtname!! In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev's administration changed the name of the city to Volgograd("VolgaCity")aspartofhisprogrammeofde-Stalinizationfollowing Stalin'sdeath,ashewastryingtoreducethe"cultofpersonality".Torecall, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin [1878 – 1953] was a Soviet revolutionary and political leader of Georgian ethnicity. Governing the Soviet Union as its dictator from the mid-1920suntilhisdeathin1953,heserved asGeneralSecretary oftheCentral Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1952 and as Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1953.
The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major confrontationofWorldWarIIinwhichNaziGermanyanditsalliesfoughtthe SovietUnionforcontrolofthecityofStalingrad(nowVolgograd)inSouthern Russia. Marked by fierce close quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in airraids,itisoftenregardedasthesinglelargest(nearly2.2millionpersonnel) and bloodiest (1.7–2 million killed, wounded or captured) battles in the history of warfare. It was an extremely costly defeat for German forces, and the Army High CommandhadtowithdrawvastmilitaryforcesfromtheWesttoreplacetheir losses.
The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in August 1942, using the6th Armyandelementsofthe4th Panzer Army.Theattackwassupportedby intensiveLuftwaffebombingthat reduced much ofthecityto rubble.The fighting degenerated into house-to-house fighting; both sides poured reinforcementsintothecity.Bymid-November1942,theGermanshadpushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones along the west bank of the Volga River. Bythe beginning of February1943, the Axis forces in Stalingrad had exhausted their ammunition and food. The remaining units of the Armysurrenderedbringingtoaclosethebattlethathadlastedmorethan5 months.
News fromRussiastatethat Russia markedthe75th anniversary ofthevictory of theBattleofStalingradwhichendedin1943. Thebattlelasted200daysand became a turning point during World War II as the Nazis were defeated. President Vladimir PutinattendedseveralceremoniesinVolgograd.... the German defeat in the 200-day long battle was a pivotal moment in the war and isglorifiedby RussiaastheeventthatsavedEuropefromAdolfHitlerandasa symbol of the country's resilience.
Putin flew to Volgograd, the current name of the city, where he laid flowers and awreathatthecity'swarmemorialMamayevKurgan,aswellasposedwitha groupofyoungwomendressedinhistoricWorldWar II-erauniforms. Heposed forapicturealongsidewomendressedinhistoricRedArmyuniformsduring commemorationsofthe75th anniversaryoftheBattleofStalingrad. Healso attended a military parade in Volgograd, involving about 1,500 troops, armouredvehiclesandjetsflyingoveracrowdofspectatorsbundledupto protect against the sub-zero temperatures. 'There was no other such battle in the historyofmankind,'PutintoldacrowdofveteranshemetattheVolgograd philharmonic for a concert commemorating the event.
Soviet victory and sacrifice in the war has been increasingly upheld by Moscow in recent years to stoke patriotism, which 'has practicallybecome a state ideology,' said apolitical analyst.He further added that Moscow needs positive symbolswhiletieswiththeWestareatapost-ColdWarlow,sodateslikewar victoryanniversariesareusedto'promotetheimageofacountrycapableof accomplishments and defeating all of its enemies.'
With regards – S. Sampathkumar 2nd Feb 2018.
