Putin commemorates Stalingrad battle on 80th anniversary of victory over Nazis

Communist party supporters with red flags gather around the statue of Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov after a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi forces in the battle of Stalingrad – a long and gruelling fight which resonates in the current conflict in Ukraine.

Mr Putin laid a wreath at the eternal flame of the memorial complex to the fallen Red Army soldiers in Volgograd, the current name of the city, which stretches along the western bank of the Volga River.