U.D.O. - featuring ex-ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider - just returned home from one of the greatest trips in their career. The band's website has been updated with the following message:

"The band played two festivals, one in Sevastopol/Ukraine and one in Volgograd (ex Stalingrad)/Russia. The festival in Sevastopol was already very special since the band performed in front of 30,000 people as the headliner in the middle of a fantastic Mad Max stage scenery and the people there freaked out.

The absolute highlight happened 4 days later in Volgograd. Invited by Russian promoter NCA, the Kremlin and the MC Night Wolves (well done gentlemen) the band performed celebrating the 70 year anniversary of the end of the battle of Stalingrad. We expected a lot but what we have seen there was simply fantastic. U.D.O. performed as headliner in front of more than 150,000 people celebrating the friendship between Russia and Germany. And this was not only a very emotional show, no, this all happened in a surreal scenery. The stage was build in the middle of a battleground as a mixture of World War 2 and Mad Max where the Russians showed a breathtaking performance recreating parts of the battle of Stalingrad.

This special show (lasting for one hour) included thousands of soldiers fighting, cannons, tanks, flame throwers, military trucks and jeeps, airfighter landing in the middle of the audience, a gigantic pyro show, lots of burning stuntmen and of course a big house front on stage completely exploding during the battle. All this combined with tasteful lights, flags and historical costumes made this to a very special event. Nobody of us saw that before and this really competes with the legendary The Wall show from PINK FLOYD.

Well, the absolutely highlight of this unique show was U.D.O. performing 'Cry Soldier Cry' together with the fantastic Konstantin Soldatov playing the balalaika and an unbelievable great Russian marine quire. FANTASTIC. Imagine the scenery, more than 150,000 people and U.D.O. performing this song with a Russian quire. GOOSE BUMPS!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic!!!!

We met a lot of Russian friends and we are very proud being part of this gigantic show representing Germany and playing there for friendship and peace."