February 2 marked the 72nd anniversary of the end of the fearsome Battle of Stalingrad, now Volgorad – the ultimate triumph of the Red Army.  The casualties of this battle were staggering.  It is estimated that “The Axis” suffered 850,000 casualties and the USSR 1,129,619 (wounded, killed, captured). Such was the tragedy of World War Two.  The siege was ended on February 2, 1943.

This anniversary was marked last week and is captured in a very poignant photograph by Dmitry Regulin for the AP. A man dressed in Red Army World War II uniform walks toward the monument to Motherland.  The form of the monument is indistinct.  The fog seems to epitomize the dimness of memory with age and time.  But as the determined figure indicates memory is dim but remembrance essential.