Public activists in Volgograd began to study the opinion of citizens about renaming the city to Stalingrad. Based on the results of polls among residents, a decision will be made next week on a possible referendum on the return of the old name.
Alexander Strukov, chairman of the Volgograd City Council of Veterans, gave the details to TASS. The veterans’ initiative to study public opinion was supported by the region’s governor Andrey Bocharov.
From today, the initiative groups will work in the neighborhoods of the city, study public opinion (…) The work will take place in the form of meetings with public bodies
Strukov said.
A survey of Volgograd residents about the possible return of the city to its former name has already been conducted by VTsIOM. The All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Research interviewed 600 Volgograd residents on the eve of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. 67% of citizens did not support the idea of renaming the city. According to residents, this will entail unnecessary financial costs and, in general, does not make sense. Only 26% of the inhabitants agree to restore the old name to the city.
The Kremlin believes such moves should be treated with caution. This was announced after the results of the investigation were published by Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. Several times a year, during holidays, Volgograd is renamed Stalingrad. According to most residents of the city, this is enough to preserve the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War.
