Night Wolves plant symbolic hazels at Russian consulate
Members of the Night Wolves motorcycle club carried out the Russkiy Les operation in Brest. They planted hazel saplings, which they brought with them, on the grounds of the Russian Consulate General.
What do you need to know?
- Russian motorcyclists from the Night Wolves group, who support Vladimir Putin, organized a ceremony at the Russian consulate in Brest intended to celebrate Russian Victory Day.
- The Night Wolves dismounted their bikes and grabbed shovels. They planted hazel saplings around the consulate building, which they had brought with them.
- In Russian, hazel is "oreshnik." This is also the name of a medium-range ballistic missile that Russia used to attack Dnipro, Ukraine, late last year, and which it uses to threaten Europe.
What did the Night Wolves motorcyclists organize?
"The motorcyclists, along with diplomats, planted hazel saplings brought from Russia on the grounds of the Consulate General as a reminder to those who revive the 'brown plague of the 21st century,'" reported the Russian diplomatic mission in Brest on the border with Poland.
What activities accompanied the Victory Day celebrations?
The motorcyclists also participated in the Immortal Regiment march. This year, the Belarusian authorities allowed such celebrations for the first time in a long time. The march references the Brest Fortress, which is a symbol for Russians and Belarusians of the Red Army’s resistance against the Third Reich's attack on the USSR on June 22, 1941. However, historians in Minsk and Moscow often overlook that in September 1939, the Polish Army first defended it against the Wehrmacht and then against Soviet forces.
What is the provocation of the Night Wolves?
The hazel sapling event is meant to be a military gesture. The new Russian medium-range ballistic missile has been named Oreshnik, or hazel. According to belsat.eu, Alexander Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin have likely agreed to deploy this weapon in Belarus, but it has not yet been done. Western experts believe that Russia most likely has only a few units of this weapon in an experimental phase.
Who are the Night Wolves?
The Night Wolves motorcycle club was founded at the end of the USSR era. It is led by Alexander Zaldostanov, who goes by the nickname "Surgeon." Under his leadership, the Night Wolves have become a tool of Kremlin propaganda. The club also has branches in some Western European countries, including Germany.
