Poland refuses to let biker gang follow Red Army route through country
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Version 0 of 1. Poland has said it will not allow a nationalist biker gang loyal to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to enter the country as part of the group’s second world war commemorations. The Night Wolves had planned to ride through Poland next week to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the conflict. Their plan was to cross several European countries on the way to Berlin, following the route taken by the Red Army in its defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Germany. The foreign ministry in Warsaw said on Friday that it had given a diplomatic note to the Russian embassy informing it of the decision. Ewa Kopacz, Poland’s prime minister, previously called the plan a provocation. The foreign ministry said it was refusing to let the bikers enter Poland because it had not received precise information about the route and schedule, information “necessary to ensure proper security for the participants”. The ministry, which insisted the decision was not politically motivated, said it had also received information about the group’s plans too late. Alexander Zaldostanov, the leader of the Night Wolves who is known as The Surgeon, told Associated Press he was not surprised by the decision and that the group would announce its next moves on Saturday. The Night Wolves claim to be the first biker club of the Soviet Union, dating their formation to 1989. In recent years, they have attracted attention for their efforts to develop a biker culture and for their increasing political involvement. The club, which is estimated to have several thousand members, is strongly nationalistic and Slavocentric, conducting runs to Russian Orthodox holy sites. Putin has ridden with the club, which held an elaborate rally in Sevastopol last year to mark Russia’s annexation of Crimea. |