Dozens of bikers from the notorious Russian nationalist club known as the
Night Wolves crossed into Germany Sunday to celebrate the Soviet Union's World
War II victory over the Nazis.
A convoy of about
80 motorbikes and five escort vehicles crossed the border from the Czech Republic into eastern Germany, but police reported no incidents.
The Wolves, who are
fiercely loyal to the Kremlin, reached Berlin on Monday Bild reports, noting
that police would not reveal their exact location.
The reported aim of
the trip is to mark the 71st anniversary of the Soviet army's defeat of the
Nazis in 1945.
Their 6,000
kilometre (3,700 mile) "victory rally" began in Moscow in April and
has taken them across several central European countries including Belarus,
Poland and the Czech Republic, but has not been without controversy.
A week ago, seven
bikers were denied entry into Poland, after the group was banned last year amid
tense relations between Moscow and Warsaw.
The rally is an
uncomfortable reminder of the post WWII Soviet domination of Poland, as well as
Russia's actions in Ukraine, where members of the group have appeared in
annexed Crimea and fought alongside pro-Moscow rebels in the east.
Established in
1989, shortly before the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Night Wolves boasts
about 5,000 members.
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