Petition Opposing Restoring Name of Stalingrad to Volgograd Garners Nearly 2,000 Signatures in First 24 Hours

Paul Goble

    Staunton, May 13 – Now that Moscow has allowed Volgograd to be called Stalingrad during the VE commemorations and restored that name to the city’s airport on a permanent basis, many have assumed that the restoration of the name Staliningrad for the city itself has become almost inevitable.

    But not everyone wants to see that name change take place. On May 12, a group of activists launched a petition drive with 187 signatures against that idea, despite its apparent support from the Kremlin, and within 24 hours, it had attracted a total of 1876 signatures (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/411267).

    On the one hand, that is not an enormous number of signatories; but on the other, it is an indication that far from all Russians want the return of the name of the Soviet dictator to maps of their country and that they are prepared to put their names down to that effect, even if doing so may put them at risk of repressive moves by the Putin regime.