UKRAINE-CRISIS/CRIMEA-BIKERS Russia's pro-Putin bikers stage massive show in Crimea

Record ID: 143001

  • Title: UKRAINE-CRISIS/CRIMEA-BIKERS Russia's pro-Putin bikers stage massive show in Crimea
  • Date: 22nd August 2015
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF SHOW IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 6th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA2LLECGP2JTJNNIGKFFI9SG502
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Russian pro-Putin bikers club "The Night Wolves" staged a massive show devoted to WWII victory in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Saturday (August 22).
    Tens of thousands gathered to see a performance held at the club's new venue on the outskirts of the city.
    "This is a grand, massive show, the God himself helped me to create it. The idea and the meaning of it are global, it is much wider than just a (WWII) history, it is also a history of the Russian state and my worries about the destiny of this state. There is no doubt that for me it is also an expression of inspiration connected to the 70th anniversary of WWII victory," said Alexander Zaldostanov, the leader of the Night Wolves also known as the Surgeon.
    The bikers are the long-time supporters of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also backed Crimea's annexation which got them on the U.S. sanctions list.
    On the eve of the WWII Victory celebrations in May 2015 members of the Night Wolves sparked controversy with their planned ride from Moscow to Berlin to mark Soviet forces' victory over Nazi Germany. About 50 bikers took part in the ride, but most of them were turned away at the Polish border.
    The Night Wolves enjoy backing of the Russian president Putin who rode with them in the past and visited their show in Crimea in 2009.
    In previous years the bikers rented from the Sevastopol administration a plot of land to hold the show. This time the city's new Moscow-installed governor granted 260 hectares to the Night Wolves. His decision outraged Sevastopol residents and prompted a land-owner - a Ukrainian businessman - to file a case against this decision.
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