he Night Wolves (Russian: Ночные Волки, tr. Nochnye Volki) are a Russian motorcycle club.[2]
The club began forming out of a mixture of rock music fans and motorcycle enthusiasts who held then-illegal rock concerts in Moscow (see Censorship in the Soviet Union) as far back as 1983.[3] By 1989 the club was consolidated as an informal motorcycle group bearing the name "Night Wolves", during the Perestroika era of the Soviet Union. It became the first official bike club in the USSR. The club established several chapters in Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia.[2] Alexander Zaldostanov (also known as The Surgeon) became the leader of the club in 1989.
The club runs multiple rock clubs and arranges many rock concerts in Russia. It also runs several tattoo parlors and is one of the founders of the annual International Moscow Tattoo Convention. In 1995, they launched a clothing line, "Wolf Wear," and established the "Wolf Engineering" custom shop subsidiary. It has gathered mechanics and general motorcycle enthusiasts from all across Russia, runs several motorcycle repair and custom shops and also developed the Wolf-Ural (Волк-Урал) motorcycle together with the manufacturer IMZ-Ural.[4] They usually ride Harley-Davidsons.[5] Another subsidiary is the racing team "Wolf Racing" which was created in 2001 and participates in and organizes various events in Russia.
A member of the Night Wolves, Valery Bely, was shot and killed in a dispute with a rival biker club, Three Roads, in November 2012.[6] The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, joined the group in August 2014.[7] In May 2015, Zaldostanov inaugurated the group's Chechen branch in Grozny and named Kadyrov its honorary leader.
Their August 2014 show in Sevastopol, supporting the annexation of Crimea by Russia and depicting Ukraine as a country controlled by "fascists", was attended by an estimated 100,000 people and broadcast by Russian state television.[23][24]
During their New Year's shows for children, the Night Wolves portrayed the West as conspiring to destroy Russia.[18][19] In a January 2015 interview with RIA Novosti, Zaldostanov stated that "When the kids come to us, we don't cut costs on special effects or efforts to convey to the children a feeling of true drive and danger."[19]
According to some of the Night Wolves, a prospective member must be male, from a former Soviet country, invited by an existing member, and must participate in club events for two years before becoming a member.[43]
The Night Wolves claim not to discriminate on religious grounds.[43] The Night Wolves are openly homophobic and do not allow gay men to join the club; women are also not allowed to join.[44]
The Night Wolves have over 5,000 members,[1] including Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic.[45]
There is a Night Wolves Macedonia.[46]
The club began forming out of a mixture of rock music fans and motorcycle enthusiasts who held then-illegal rock concerts in Moscow (see Censorship in the Soviet Union) as far back as 1983.[3] By 1989 the club was consolidated as an informal motorcycle group bearing the name "Night Wolves", during the Perestroika era of the Soviet Union. It became the first official bike club in the USSR. The club established several chapters in Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia.[2] Alexander Zaldostanov (also known as The Surgeon) became the leader of the club in 1989.
The club runs multiple rock clubs and arranges many rock concerts in Russia. It also runs several tattoo parlors and is one of the founders of the annual International Moscow Tattoo Convention. In 1995, they launched a clothing line, "Wolf Wear," and established the "Wolf Engineering" custom shop subsidiary. It has gathered mechanics and general motorcycle enthusiasts from all across Russia, runs several motorcycle repair and custom shops and also developed the Wolf-Ural (Волк-Урал) motorcycle together with the manufacturer IMZ-Ural.[4] They usually ride Harley-Davidsons.[5] Another subsidiary is the racing team "Wolf Racing" which was created in 2001 and participates in and organizes various events in Russia.
A member of the Night Wolves, Valery Bely, was shot and killed in a dispute with a rival biker club, Three Roads, in November 2012.[6] The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, joined the group in August 2014.[7] In May 2015, Zaldostanov inaugurated the group's Chechen branch in Grozny and named Kadyrov its honorary leader.
Their August 2014 show in Sevastopol, supporting the annexation of Crimea by Russia and depicting Ukraine as a country controlled by "fascists", was attended by an estimated 100,000 people and broadcast by Russian state television.[23][24]
During their New Year's shows for children, the Night Wolves portrayed the West as conspiring to destroy Russia.[18][19] In a January 2015 interview with RIA Novosti, Zaldostanov stated that "When the kids come to us, we don't cut costs on special effects or efforts to convey to the children a feeling of true drive and danger."[19]
According to some of the Night Wolves, a prospective member must be male, from a former Soviet country, invited by an existing member, and must participate in club events for two years before becoming a member.[43]
The Night Wolves claim not to discriminate on religious grounds.[43] The Night Wolves are openly homophobic and do not allow gay men to join the club; women are also not allowed to join.[44]
The Night Wolves have over 5,000 members,[1] including Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic.[45]
There is a Night Wolves Macedonia.[46]
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