Russia fetes 75th anniversary of battle for Stalingrad

DPA, 02nd FEBRUARY, 2018-The southern Russian city once known as Stalingrad is celebrating 75 years since one of the bloodiest battles of World War II that ended with a pivotal Soviet victory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to attend the events in the city, now known as Volgograd.
A parade featuring 75 tanks, one for each year since the victory, as well as 1,500 military personnel and 50 aircraft, is set to take place in the city centre.

The city, on the Volga River, was renamed in the early 1960s during the political thaw that followed the death of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

In the winter of 1942-43, Nazi German troops had for months occupied most of Stalingrad when more than 300,000 of them were encircled by the Red Army.

The Soviet victory came arduously, with an estimated death toll of 700,000, and is considered a turning point in the war.