The battle of Stalingrad "opened the path to the complete destruction of the enemy," Putin said on Friday. Putin congratulated and thanked war veterans and urged Russians to build the future of their country on "the foundation" he said they had laid. The five-month Battle of Stalingrad became a symbol of Soviet resilience in the face of the Nazi onslaught in 1942-43 and marked a major turning point in the war. Over 1 million people are believed to have died in the bloodshed at Stalingrad as Soviet forces halted and then turned the tide on the invading Nazi forces.