"Night Wolves" from EU and US blacklists paraded through Banja Luka

(Patria) - Members of the Kremlin-affiliated motorcycle club "Night Wolves" paraded through the streets of Banja Luka on June 27, participating in the Vidovdan ride organized by the motorcycle club's branch for Republika Srpska, RSE reports.

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

"Night Wolves" and their leader, Alexander Zaldostanov – The Surgeon, are on the US blacklist due to their support for separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

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

The president of the club's branch for Republika Srpska, Goran Tadić, said that the participants of the ride arrived from Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Australia, and other countries.

"They had problems entering BiH, but no one was turned back from the border. They are not criminals, no one has a criminal record, and we don't understand why they are harassing us," Tadić stated in response to a question from Radio Free Europe RSE.

The leader of the "Night Wolves", Zaldostanov, has been banned from entering BiH because the Intelligence Security Agency of BiH has declared him a threat to national security.

Tadić said he did not understand the reason for the ban and announced that he would seek answers from the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.

Incidentally, the authorities of Republika Srpska have awarded Zaldostanov decorations in recent years for "highlighting and affirming human rights" and for "strengthening friendly relations between the Russian Federation and Republika Srpska."