(MENAFN) Russian Leader Vladimir Putin has enacted a decree restoring the original name of the international airport in the city of Volgograd, reverting it to its historic designation—Stalingrad.

The official statement, released by the Kremlin late Tuesday, reads: “In order to perpetuate the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, I decree to assign Volgograd International Airport with the historical name ‘Stalingrad’.”

This declaration is intended to commemorate the Soviet triumph during World War II.

This announcement coincided with Putin’s visit to Volgograd earlier that day, during which he also held discussions with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

The timing of the visit and the renaming aligns with preparations for the upcoming 80th anniversary of Victory Day.

Victory Day, observed annually on May 9, is a significant holiday in Russia and other former Soviet republics, marking Nazi Germany’s capitulation in World War II—a conflict Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

Historically located along the western banks of the Volga River, the city known as Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd in 1961.

This change occurred under the administration of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, during a political shift known as de-Stalinization, which followed the 1953 death of Joseph Stalin.

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