England fans have started arriving in the Russian city of Volgograd before their team’s opening World Cup game on Monday and are abiding by strict warnings not to drape flags on second world war monuments.

The city, formerly known as Stalingrad, is dominated by a statue known as the Motherland Calls, an 85-metre-tall sculpture of a woman raising a sword aloft, a memorial to the millions who died in the 1942-43 battle for the city.

There are dozens of other monuments acknowledging the Russians who lost their lives during the Battle of Stalingrad scattered around the city. It had prompted concerns that England fans might provoke their hosts by hanging St George’s flags on them.

British police have worked with the Football Supporters’ Federation to make supporters aware of sensitive sites and there was an excited but respectful atmosphere on the streets of Volgograd as fans from several countries mixed.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Motherland Calls statue towers above Volgograd’s new World Cup stadium. Photograph: Dmitriy Rogulin/AP

Situated in the south of Russia, Volgograd was a closed city until the 1990s and there had been some uncertainty about how residents would respond to the expected 4,000 England fans who began to trickle in on Friday before their side’s opening match against Tunisia on Monday.

Some chose not to wear England shirts out of concern about attracting unwanted attention but most spoke of feeling welcomed by their hosts. One fan, who gave his name as Nobby Rob, from Cornwall, was proudly wearing his England shirt. “I flew via Riga in Latvia and Moscow to get here and mine is the only England shirt I’ve seen,” he said. “I think some others are a bit shy of wearing theirs but I’ve been all over the world watching England in it and didn’t want to stop now.”

During Euro 2016 in France organised groups of Russians clashed with England fans on the streets of Marseille, with the violence tarnishing the tournament. “I got gassed in Marseille,” said Rob. “But I think Vladimir Putin doesn’t want it to kick off here so I think it will be all right.”

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At the airport, volunteers handed out pamphlets welcoming visitors to Volgograd. It claimed a number of myths about the country had been allowed to take hold. “The Russians are kind, friendly and hospitable people, always ready to help,” it said. “We are the same people like you are. And no, Russians don’t drink vodka all the time.”

When a delegation from the Football Association visited the city in February it was so cold the Volga had frozen over. But the mercury hit 34C (93F) on Friday as supporters sought shade at the Fifa Fan Fest, a public viewing site where every game will be shown on a giant screen.

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Ellis and Clark Leake-Lyall, brothers from Brighton, watched as Uruguay beat Egypt with a last-minute winner. “This is the first time we’ve been to watch England,” said Ellis. “You can’t help but be affected by all the negative stories about Russia but we’ve found everyone to be really friendly since we arrived.”