The President laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Military Glory and honoured the memory of the fallen soldiers with a moment of silence. He also laid flowers at the grave of Marshal of the Soviet Union, twice Hero of the USSR Vasily Chuikov, commander of the 62nd Army (8th Guards Army as of April 1943), which valiantly fought for Stalingrad for six months, eventually defending the city in fierce battle.
The event was also attended by Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Southern Federal District Vladimir Ustinov and Governor of the Volgograd Region Andrei Bocharov.
The Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 – February 2, 1943) went down in history as one of the longest WWII land battles, involving the highest number of troops. It marked a major turning point in the war and became a symbol of a moral victory over fascism.
On February 2, commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of Soviet troops defeating the Nazis in the Battle of Stalingrad are held throughout the country. Every year, the Volgograd Region becomes the centre of a national celebration. In 2011, the Battle of Stalingrad State Historical and Memorial Museum and Reserve was recognised as a particularly valuable cultural heritage site of the peoples of the Russian Federation.