“Night Wolves” .. Putin’s “loyal” supporters start a motorcycle trip from Moscow to Berlin

Hundreds of Russian motorcyclists, members of the pro-Kremlin “Night Wolves” club, began a “patriotic” rally in Moscow on Saturday to end their May 9 trip in Berlin, according to an AFP journalist.

The motorcycle group, led by Alexander Zaldastanov, nicknamed “the Surgeon”, 60, the leader and founder of the club, started from the “Bike Center”, where it is based in southeast Moscow.

Many of the participants in the march raised the Russian and Soviet flags. Some have attached the letter “Z” to their motorcycles, which symbolizes the “Russian special military operation” in Ukraine that began in February 2022.

The march, dubbed “Roads to Victory”, raised the traditional slogan of Russia’s attack on Ukraine: “We do not let our people down.”

According to the organizers, on May 1, cyclists must pass through the city of Volgograd – formerly Stalingrad – on the Volga River, the scene of the bloody battle between Soviet and Nazi German forces in 1942-1943 that marked a turning point during World War II and paved the way for the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies. .

They will then continue to the Donetsk region of Donbass, which is the scene of fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, where they intend to distribute humanitarian aid to Russian civilians and soldiers.

“The people of Donbass and we are the same people,” Artyom, a 34-year-old labourer, told AFP before setting off.

Alexander Zaldastanov, who claims to be a “friend” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is subject to Western sanctions because of his support for Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

In May 2015 he was denied entry to Poland when he wanted to organize a “Victory Motorcycle Rally” across Europe. The ban angered the Russian Foreign Ministry.