A motorcycle gang run by a friend and die-hard supporter of Vladmir Putin has been sanctioned by the EU this week. The Night Wolves, who have staged rallies and music concerts to support the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, were targeted in measures designed to punish propagandists who are publicly championing the war. The gang have been seen parading across central Russia with the pro-war Z symbol displayed on their choppers as the group collect cash donations for people living in the Russian-occupied states in eastern Ukraine. The group’s leader, Aleksandr Zaldostanov aka “The Surgeon,” said he was “not surprised” by the sanctions, adding they “have no meaning” to him. The sanctions could mean that the group is no longer able to carry out its propagandizing road trips in Europe, however. “If we will no longer be able to make the trips, then our friends, our brothers, will come here [to Russia] instead,” the Surgeon told the Financial Times.
