At the end of April around 1000 ’Night Wolves’ and the biker clubs supporters met in Moscow to celebrate the start of the motorcycle season. They paraded through the capital, put on bike shows and put on concerts.

The largest motorcycle club in Russia has around 5000 members who are organised into 50 local chapters. They are considered ultra nationalist, ultra conservative and completely loyal to the Kremlin. Club boss Alexander Saldostanow, known as ’Surgeon’, is a close personal friend of President Putin. The group has received medals of honour for their work in the patriotic education of Russian youth. However others claim the Night Wolves are a paramilitary organisation and say they have significantly interfered in the Ukraine conflict.

Our film crew obtained an exclusive interview with the club President about their radical political views and the role of the Night Wolves in the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. We also speak to human rights activists and politicians about the organisation and investigate the group’s controversial trip to Berlin to commemorate the Red Army in WWII. An exclusive look inside the group.

This documentary was produced by NTV. It was first released in 2015.

------

We have the stories that global corporations don't want you to know. Our channel is home to award-winning investigations, current affairs and revealing documentaries that challenge unchecked global powers and give you the real, human stories behind the headlines.

Want to understand more about our world? Want to delve beyond news headlines and understand global issues more deeply? Subscribe to DISPATCH for all this and more. Make sure to hit notifications to never miss a new release!