Night Wolves plant 'Oreshnik' in Brest: A diplomatic uproar
Members of the Night Wolves motorcycle club conducted the Russkiy Les action in Brest. On the grounds of the Russian Consulate General, they planted hazel saplings that they brought with them.
What you need to know
- Russian motorcyclists from the Night Wolves group, which supports Vladimir Putin, organized a ceremony at the Russian consulate in Brest. It was intended to celebrate Russian Victory Day.
- The Night Wolves dismounted from their motorcycles and took shovels in hand. The area around the consulate building was planted with hazel saplings that the members brought with them.
- In Russian, hazel is "oreshnik." This is the name of the medium-range ballistic missile that Russia used at the end of last year to attack Ukraine's Dnipro and which it threatens Europe with.
What action did the Night Wolves motorcyclists organize?
"The motorcyclists, along with diplomats, planted hazel saplings brought from Russia on the grounds of the General Consulate as a reminder for those who are reviving the 'brown plague of the 21st century,'" noted 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. The Belarusian authorities allowed such celebrations this year for the first time in a long period. The march refers to the Brest Fortress, which for Russians and Belarusians is a symbol of the Red Army's resistance against the Third Reich invasion of the USSR on June 22, 1941. Historians in Minsk and Moscow omit the fact that in September 1939, the Polish Army first defended it against the Wehrmacht and then the Soviet forces.
What is the Night Wolves' provocation about?
The event with hazel saplings is intended as a military joke. The new Russian medium-range ballistic missile was named Oreshnik, which means hazel. According to belsat.eu, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin likely agreed on the deployment of this weapon in Belarus, but it has not occurred yet. Western experts believe that Russia most likely possesses only a few units of this weapon in the experimental phase.
Who are the Night Wolves?
The Night Wolves motorcycle club was founded at the end of the USSR. It is led by Alexander Zaldostanov, nicknamed "The 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.
