India, May 1 -- Russian President Putin has signed a decree officially renaming Volgograd International Airport, located in Volgograd, Russia, into Stalingrad International Airport, after the late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

According to Russian government officials, this change was made due to "a request from World War II veterans, those involved in Russia's war in, and local authorities."

The decree, released by the Kremlin press service, stated: "In order to immortalize the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, I hereby decree... to assign Volgograd International Airport the historic name 'Stalingrad'."

In Russia, the term 'Great Patriotic War' refers to the WWII period from June 22, 1941, to May ...