DOLNA KRUPA seems an unlikely place for a controversy about Russian influence in Europe. The nondescript Slovak village has only 2,000 residents. But a mysterious camouflaged compound just outside it, protected by high walls, barbed wire and a giant dog, has many in Slovakia worried. In June Russian state media announced that the site, a former pig farm, was the “European headquarters” of the Night Wolves, a motorcycle club of Russian origins, with whom Vladimir Putin once rode. The group is banned in Poland on security grounds and subject to American sanctions for members’ involvement in the annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine. Slovak liberals were therefore alarmed to learn that the bikers had established a base in their country. The outcry grew louder when reports emerged that the Slovak Recruits, a right-wing paramilitary group, had conducted training exercises at the site using old tanks. The site’s owner, Jozef Hambalek, is a well-connected businessman with an enthusiasm for motorcycles and nationalism. He acquired the equipment on loan from the defence ministry, claiming it was for a museum.
The Economist: Why Slovakia worries about the Night Wolves
Motorcycle riders attend a rally for Russia's motorcycle club Night Wolves in front of Russia's embassy in Bratislava on July 27. Russia's pro-Kremlin Night Wolves motorcycle club opened their European base in Dolna Krupa, Slovakia and run it together with Slovak Defenders, paramilitary and nationalist group.
