"Night wolves" from the EU and USA blacklists paraded through Banja Luka

Members of the "Night Wolves" motorcycle club close to the Kremlin paraded through the streets of Banja Luka on June 27, participating in the Vidovdan drive organized by the Republika Srpska (RS) branch of this motorcycle club.

More than 60 members of the biker organization, which is under sanctions from the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU), are participating in the ride, due to its ties to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and support for the invasion of Ukraine.

The "Night Wolves" and their leader, Aleksandar Zaldostanov - Surgeon, are on the US blacklist for supporting separatists in Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.

Some of them wore T-shirts with the letter Z, a symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the message "Where we are, there is Russia".

The president of the RS branch of this club, Goran Tadić, said that the participants of the ride came from Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Australia and other countries.

"They had problems when they arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but no one was returned from the border. They are not criminals, no one has a criminal record and it is not clear to us why they are mistreating us," Tadić pointed out when asked by Radio Free Europe (RSE).

The leader of the "Night Wolves", Zaldostanov, was banned from entering Bosnia and Herzegovina because the Intelligence and Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina labeled him a threat to national security.

Tadić said that the reason for the ban was not clear to him and announced that he would seek answers from the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik.

By the way, the authorities of the Republika Srpska awarded Zaldostano decorations in recent years, for "emphasizing and affirming human rights", as well as for "strengthening friendly relations between the Russian Federation and the Republika Srpska".

Motorcyclists paraded through Banja Luka with prominent flags of the "Night Wolves" organization, as well as the flags of Russia and Republika Srpska.

Then they laid a wreath on the monument to the Twelve Babies of Banja Luka, as well as on the monument to the Russian Tsar Nicholas in Banja Luka.

The "Night Wolves" branch in the RS regularly participates in the celebration of the Day of the RS in this BiH. entity, and in March 2022 they also appeared at a rally in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was held in Banja Luka.

That motorcycle club, as well as its leader, were added to the EU sanctions list in July 2022 for supporting the invasion of Ukraine. The United States put the club on the sanctions list in December 2014.

Zaldastanov, who describes himself as a friend of the Russian president, received a medal from Putin for the role the bikers played in Crimea in 2014, while members of the "Night Wolves" took part in pro-Russian rallies across the Balkans.