- Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a biker festival in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on Saturday while massive demonstrations for fair elections were taking place in Moscow.
- The organizers of the festival, the Night Wolves, are a right-wing Russian nationalist group with ties to the Kremlin.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin rode into Sevastopol, Crimea on a motorcycle on Saturday to attend a biker festival organized by right-wing Russian nationalist group the Night Wolves, according to the BBC.
Putin’s attendance with the Night Wolves — whose leader has said wherever the group is "should be considered Russia" — is symbolically important in Crimea; Putin annexed the peninsula by force from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Saturday’s stunt was a "blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty," according to the BBC.
The biker festival took place as tens of thousands gathered in Moscow to demand free and fair municipal elections in September, the BBC reports. Opposition parties have been barred from participating in the elections.
Check out the following slides to see photos of Putin’s trip to Crimea — and why it’s more than just a presidential visit.
Putin posed for selfies with members of the Night Wolves, which supported the annexation of Crimea. It’s the largest such group in Russia and has close ties to the Kremlin. The Night Wolves hold their annual motorcycle show in Sevastopol.
Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS
Sources: BBC, Rolling Stone
The Night Wolves, or "Nochniye Volki" in Russian, are a hyper-nationalist group whose leader, Alexander "The Surgeon" Zaldostanov, has said he would die for Putin and that "wherever the Night Wolves are, that should be considered Russia."
Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS
Source: Rolling Stone
Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, using Russian special forces. Russia denied the presence of its forces on the peninsula, but a month after unidentified forces took over government buildings there, Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea.
Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS
Source: Business Insider
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Source: Business Insider – eioanes@businessinsider.com (Ellen Ioanes)