«We show the flag! We stand for Russia! Without ifs and without buts!”, says the Facebook page of the Swiss branch of Russia’s largest motorcycle and rocker club, Nachtwölfe MC. One of the members poses with the flag of the Ukrainian separatist region of Donetsk in front of the Russian embassy.
On the social network, Swiss bikers pose with Russian flags, share pro-Russian propaganda and celebrate the “Z” symbol associated with the Russian military. On February 21, when President Vladimir Putin (69) recognized the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, “Happy Republic Recognition Day!” desired.
Kremlin funds Russian motorcycle club
The motorcyclists are also collecting donations for the people of Donbass and condemning “Western aggression” once morest Russia. There is not much to be found on their website, just red text on a black background: “We are with Russia. We are with Donbass».
The group has around 5,000 members in Russia alone and has not just positioned itself clearly on the side of Russia since the beginning. Putin has even attended the club’s biker rides in person. Because the founder and president of the biker gang, Alexander Sergeyevich Saldostanov, aka “Surgeon”, maintains good relations with the Russian president.
But that wasn’t always the case: due to initial discrepancies between Moscow and the bikers, the Russian government supported the night wolves with money from the state cultural budget “20 minutes” writes. According to Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the motorcycle club is said to have received a sum of around CHF 1.5 million between 2013 and 2015.
Fedpol sees no danger from night wolves
According to the Russia expert Ulrich Schmid, Professor of Russian Culture and Society at the University of St. Gallen, who spoke to the newspaper, the financing of the motorcycle club is not an isolated case. “The entire cultural policy of the Kremlin over the past ten years is aimed at identifying patriotic associations in Russian society and using them for their own purposes.”
However, the night wolves have little influence on the Russian population, according to Schmid. “Because by representing and glorifying Stalinism, they belong ideologically to a small minority within society.” Even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) does not assume “particular risks” from the Swiss offshoot of the night wolves. (chs)
More regarding motorcycle clubs in Switzerland
