Pro-Putin operatives in Germany work to turn Berlin against Ukraine

LTC Eugene Chu
..."Night Wolves
Some groups inside Germany have focused attention on a humanitarian crisis in Donbas caused, they say, by Ukrainian forces deliberately shelling civilian targets. That stance – which Kyiv and its allies say is untrue – echoes a narrative pushed by the Kremlin.

Jan Riedel, a motorcycle enthusiast from east Germany, is president of a group called “German-Russian Souls.” It takes part in pro-Russia events in Germany, sometimes alongside Russian diplomats, laying wreaths on the graves of Red Army soldiers killed in World War Two. Riedel and his group post images on their social media channels almost daily showing what they say is the aftermath of Ukrainian artillery attacks on apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure in the Donbas region. Riedel didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article.

Riedel’s group partners with an organisation called “Patriots of Novorossiya.” Novorossiya – which literally translates as New Russia – is the name that Russian nationalists give to the area of southern and eastern Ukraine that the Kremlin and its supporters say is rightfully Russian. Representatives of “Patriots of Novorossiya” declined to comment.

At public events, Riedel is usually dressed in a heavy-duty leather motorcycle jacket adorned with the Novorossiya flag and the number 1423. The number denotes the Night Wolves, a Russian biker club that is under U.S. sanctions for helping Russian forces seize Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 and recruiting separatist fighters in Donbas.

One of several visits Riedel made to Donbas was in 2019. A post on his group’s social media page announced a 10,000 rouble ($165) donation to the Donbas chapter of Night Wolves. It said the money came from a fund-raising event in Germany. Vitaly Kishkinov, head of the Donbas Night Wolves chapter, told Reuters his group received the donation. He said it was a one-off donation and that the chapter and Riedel’s organisation were not working together."

LTC Eugene Chu No Surprises There!