Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Tuesday arrived in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, the first stop in his three-day visit to Russia, local authorities informed.

On arriving in the Russian airport of Volgograd, Chávez drank vodka from a sable, according to the Cossack tradition, AFP said.

Chávez, who started his official visit to Russia following a visit to Belarus, was welcome with bread and salt, symbols of Russian hospitality.

Chávez "decided to start his tour of Russia by visiting Volgograd in order to pay homage to the defenders of Stalingrad (the former name of Volgograd), a city where the Hitler's Germany military machinery was cracked in February 1943," Venezuelan ambassador to Russia Alexis Navarro Rojas said, as quoted by Itar-Tass.

In Volgograd, Chávez is to visit a monument to the heroes of the Stalingrad Battle in the Second World War and a local tractor manufacturing plant, Efe reported.

Chávez is also meeting with Volgograd governor Nikolai Maxiuta and businesspeople, including the CEO of oil firm Lukoil, Vaguit Alekperov.

This is Chávez' second official visit to Volgograd. His first visit was in May 2001.

On Thursday, the Venezuelan ruler is to meet with President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. They are to initial a more than USD 1 billion agreement under which Russia is to supply 60 warplanes to Venezuela.