They will visit a total of 12 countries, including Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, in their march aimed at “strengthening the dialogue between Slavic peoples”.
Evgeni Strogov, the head of Russia’s motorcycle tourism association, explained that the initiative had been planned for over six months and would “strengthen cooperation between Russia and Slavic countries.
“We are engaged with connecting the Orthodox countries and the Slavic world… In the Balkans we have Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and that is why I can say we feel at home there”, Strogov told Bulgarian National Radio.
Led by Alexander “The Surgeon” Zaldostanov, the Night Wolves were established as a club of rock music and motorcycle fans back in the 1980s.
Nowadays, they have a strong relationship with Russian leader Putin, who calls them “friends”.
According to Balkan Insight news portal, the “wolves” are regular participants of nationalistic marches and even funded by the Kremlin and involved with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Their visits to Bulgaria meet mixed reactions, since a part of the public supports them whereas the other side sees their arrival as a provocation.
This would not be the first visit of the “wolves” to Montenegro, either. They were in Montenegro for a pilgrimage to the monastery at Ostrog, where they were in the company of the famous Serbian and Bosnian director, Emir Kusturica.
In October 2014, the bikers visited Montenegro on a motorcycle tour called “Russian Balkan”, which was promoted on the official website of the Russian Embassy in Podgorica.
They have their own branch in Montenegro, which includes members from several towns across the country, operating under the motto “Pray to God and stick to Russia”.
