Hundreds of Kremlin-loyal rockers from the “Night Wolves” motorcycle club passed through the streets of Moscow and went on a “patriotic” motorcycle ride through Europe, France Press reported.
The bike ride, which was led by the founder and leader of the club Alexander Zaldastanov, also known as “The Surgeon”, aims to finish on May 9 in Berlin.
Several of the participants waved Russian and Soviet flags. Some had the letter “Z” written on their motorcycles, which has become a symbol of Russia’s so-called special military operation in Ukraine, which began in February last year.
Dubbed “Roads of Victory”, the march adopted the traditional slogan of the Russian offensive in Ukraine: “We never abandon our own.”
According to the organizers, the motorcycle convoy is scheduled to reach Volgograd, the former Stalingrad, on May 1, the site of the bloody battle between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in World War II, which turned the tide of the war in favor of the USSR and its allies.
The rockers will then proceed to the Donbass in eastern Ukraine, where fierce fighting is taking place and where they will distribute aid to civilians and Russian soldiers.
“The people of Donbas and we are one people,” 34-year-old Artyom told AFP before joining the march.
Zaldastanov, a self-described “friend” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been sanctioned by the West for his support of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
In May 2015, he was banned from entering Poland, where he wanted to organize a “victory motorcycle ride” through Europe. The restrictive measures imposed against him by Warsaw caused the displeasure of Russian diplomacy, according to AFP. /BTA, Vladimir Sakhatchiev/
2023-04-30 07:00:00
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