Night Wolves Platoon Went To Ukraine

Less than 1% of pro-Putin bikers agreed to fight.

The Night Wolves who accompanied Putin in the Crimea in 2014 have almost left the information field, lost their presidential grants, and less than one percent of the members of the biker club participate in the war in Ukraine. The only patron of the club that remained is the Roskosmos, they assure in the biker environment. The state corporation sponsors the motorcycle platoon.

Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, several dozen bikers from the Night Wolves club have volunteered for the war. Members of the Night Wolves join the international brigade “DPR” “Pyatnashka”. Humanitarian aid is sent to the same Night Wolves brigade. Biker Andrei Mishchenko, who is fighting in the Donetsk direction, told Regnum that a platoon of Night Wolves is fighting in Ukraine, that is, about 50 people — all of them were part of the “Pyatnashka” brigade in the “DPR”. In the photograph of the Night Wolves motorcycle platoon, the correspondent of the publication counted 21 people.

At the same time, the total number of the club is about 5 thousand people, this was confirmed by two editorial sources in the biker environment. According to them, at the peak of popularity, the number of bikers was higher, but a small part of the people left the club after conflicts with its leader Alexander Zaldostanov, many gave up their activity. Thus, now about 1% of the total number of the club is fighting in Ukraine, although the Night Wolves since 2014 have been actively advocating the “annexation” of Ukrainian territories to Russia, even offering to take administrative buildings in the Crimea under protection.

News about the biker platoon is not distributed in the federal media, but disperses on the platforms of the club itself. The Roskosmos helped the platoon with the provision of uniforms and equipment, the bikers themselves report this, but there is no talk of large-scale support. Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov believes that the former patriotic activity of motorcyclists was more like PR and making money, and most bikers are not ready for serious actions because of their mentality.

“Bikers are fundamentally apolitical, and an attempt to seriously politicize them could not be successful. The bikers who swore allegiance to the authorities are not bikers, but clowns,” concludes Gallyamov.

Club leader Alexander Zaldostanov, nicknamed the Surgeon, does not disclose his whereabouts, but, obviously, he does not take part in hostilities: in his channel, he writes that he personally sees bikers off to the front and travels around the country, presenting New Year's fairy tales. In his free time, Zaldostanov writes blank verses, and responded poetically to the editors' request regarding his participation in the hostilities:

“Our motorcycles are only partly earthly — they are also heavenly. Sometimes, when we rush to the Donbas to help the martyrs, they turn into fiery chariots that fly across the sky right behind Elijah the Prophet,” Alexander Zaldostanov explained.