Volgograd residents criticize celebrations in honour of victory at Stalingrad

Today, about 30,000 residents and guests of Volgograd have gathered for a military parade in honour of the 75th anniversary of the victory at Stalingrad. The Iskander missile system, the Smerch and Tornado heavy multiple rocket launcher systems and the S-400 surface-to-air missile system passed through the streets, the press service for the Southern Military District reported.

Many residents of Volgograd told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they had failed to watch the parade, since they got no invitations needed to visit the square.

"Fallen Fighters Square was cordoned off. I together with my husband tried to go through metal detectors, but we were not allowed to enter the square, since they let in only those who got invitations," Volgograd resident Olga Maslova stated.

"The parade was turned into a review for the officials. They arranged a fence to cordon off the square, and ordinary people should stay away in order not to bother the officials," Irina Ivanova, a resident of Volgograd, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Even those people who entered the square saw almost nothing, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Volgograd activist Alexei Ulyanov.

"I came to the parade by an invitation. However, even with an invitation, it was difficult to see anything. The crowd was large," Alexei Ulyanov said.

According to the activist, it would be advisable to hold a parade on the embankment. "There's a great place, and the road is flat there. Then a lot of people will see a parade," he believes.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.