Eighty years after the devastating battle for Stalingrad (modern Volgograd) in southern Russia, one of the bloodiest chapters of World War II, Stalingrad has become synonymous with Soviet victory. More than one million members of the Red Army died fighting for the city, a sacrifice that has seen it evolve into a symbol of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany and a mecca of modern Russian patriotism. But the anniversary on February 2 to commemorate that crucial battle has taken on added meaning this year as Russian troops fight in Ukraine. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES