On 29 April, the Russian city of Volgograd hosted a ceremony of laying flowers and wreaths at the Mamaev Kurgan, a monument dedicated to the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945 and the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad. It was attended by Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
A “festive corridor” was set up in the city centre for motorcades to pass through, and students of Volgograd Social and Pedagogical University took to the streets with Russian flags. There were about 300 people in the column.
Some universities cancelled or reduced classes. Local residents told the ASTRA project that they could not make mobile calls or access the internet. According to V1.ru, many residents of Volgograd are also having problems with geolocation.
At the same time, the forum of the Union State of Russia and Belarus “great heritage – joint future” started in Volgograd. At it, Lukashenko spoke about the war that is now ongoing.
“A new, another war has begun, dear friends. It has begun, but we are not the ones who started it. The next stage of this war will be a hot war, a global war with weapons in our hands. We don’t want that. Today there is a war in the media,” said Lukashenko.
In addition, he blamed the beginning of the war on the “descendants of the Third Reich,” who were defeated and now allegedly want revenge. The politician specifically mentioned “Latvian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian Nazis,” who allegedly showed the greatest cruelty during World War II.
Putin’s personal meeting with Lukashenka continued behind closed doors after the official ceremonies.