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Article: Anniversary of Soviet Union's Breakup Stirs Emotions in Russia.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
- Article date:
- December 25, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Dave Montgomery, Knight Ridder Washington Bureau Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Dec. 25--VOLGOGRAD, Russia -- Ten years after the Soviet Union collapsed, Pyotr Alkhutov still mourns its passing.
The 78-year-old faced death as a Soviet soldier to preserve his nation during one of World War II's decisive conflicts, the Battle of Stalingrad. On Dec. 25, 1991, as Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned to bring the Soviet empire to an end, Alkhutov angrily asked himself: "What was I fighting for?"
In this so-called "City of Heroes," which was renamed from Stalingrad to Volgograd, the anniversary of the Soviet Union's fall prompts ...