NATO HQ: Night Wolves are an issue for BiH authorities to address

BiH, (Patria) - About twenty members of the "Night Wolves" Motorcycle Club from Russia entered Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening at the Pavlovića most Border Crossing.

Members of this motorcycle club are, as previously announced, on a journey called "Russian Balkan," and it is assumed they will meet with political representatives of Republika Srpska.

The founder and president of the "Night Wolves," Aleksandar Sergejevič Zaldastanov, and the entire organization, have been on the US blacklist since 2014 due to, as stated, their ties and activities with separatists in Ukraine.

BiH authorities have previously designated this group as a security threat, and the leader of the "Night Wolves," Aleksandar Zaldostanov Hirurg, and member Saša Savić, have been banned from entering Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The US Embassy in BiH assessed the arrival of the Night Wolves as a negative visit that affects stability in the country. It is up to the local authorities and relevant institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the US Embassy emphasized, to resolve this issue.

The NATO headquarters in BiH shares a similar opinion.

"We are aware of the mentioned issue. This is a matter that the competent institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina should address," the NATO headquarters in BiH told the Patria agency. 

On the other hand, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in BiH welcomed the arrival of the Night Wolves in BiH. The Russian Embassy stated that the club members are falsely trying to present themselves as a security threat. They emphasize that the goal of the "Russian Balkan" motorcycle rally is to popularize forgotten or little-known places connected with Russian history and Russian-Serbian cultural ties.

The Guardian writes that the club boasts thousands of members across Eastern Europe, and enjoys close ties with the Russian president, which has led some to call them Putin's angels.

Russian expert Mark Galeotti, professor of global affairs at New York University, says the Night Wolves act as "state proxies and tools."

The president of the BiH entity Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, awarded Sergejevič with the Order of Honour with Golden Rays at the beginning of the year for strengthening, as stated, friendly relations between Republika Srpska and the Russian Federation.