Putin Meets Members of Youth and Patriotic Organizations on 80th Anniversary of Stalingrad Battle

Sputnik is live from Volgograd, where Vladimir Putin is meeting with patriotic groups and youth organizations at the “Battle of Stalingrad” panorama museum.

80 years ago, on February 2, 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest in history, ended in a triumphant victory for the Red Army. The capture of Stalingrad was an important goal for Nazi Germany, as the city was the industrial center of Russia, as well as a major transportation hub. Victory on this front would have opened a bridgehead for the Wehrmacht to further pursue its offensive against the Soviet Union. But Germany’s plans to capture the city were not destined to succeed. Nazi troops were crushed by victorious Soviet forces.