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Poland bans ‘provocative’ Russian bikers loyal to Putin

By The Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish authorities said Friday they will not allow a nationalistic Russian motorcycle group loyal to President Vladimir Putin to enter Poland, but insisted the move is not political and was made in part because Polish authorities would not be able to guarantee their security.

The Night Wolves group had planned to enter Poland next week to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Their plan was to cross several countries on their way to Berlin, following a path taken by the Red Army in its defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Germany.

Many Poles reacted angrily to the plan by the pro-Putin group to make a symbolic drive through their country at a time of deep strains between Russia and the West. Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz recently called the plan a “provocation.”

The Foreign Ministry in Warsaw said that it was refusing to let the bikers enter Poland because it did not receive precise information from them about their route and schedule, information “necessary to ensure proper security for the participants.”

The ministry said it also received information about the group’s plans too late. The decision was relayed to the Russian Embassy in Warsaw in a diplomatic note on Friday.

Ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski insisted that the decision was not politically motivated.

Night Wolves leader Alexander Zaldostanov, known as “The Surgeon,” told The Associated Press he was not surprised by the decision and that the group would announce its next moves on Saturday.

The Night Wolves claim to be the first biker club of the Soviet Union, dating their formation to 1989. In recent years, they have attracted attention both for efforts to develop a biker culture, but also for their increasing political involvement.

The club, which is estimated to have several thousand members, is strongly nationalistic and Slavo-centric, even conducting runs to Russian Orthodox holy sites. The group has close ties to President Vladimir Putin, who has been shown riding with the club, and the Night Wolves last year held an elaborate rally in Sevastopol honoring Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

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Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Fashion and Sheryl Crow raise money for Down Syndrome awareness in D.C. (Video)

By Michelle Basch
WASHINGTON - There was lots of vamping on the catwalk at the Ritz Carlton in D.C. Wednesday night. A fashion show featuring more than two dozen models with Down Syndrome, many of them children, took center stage. The show was part of a benefit for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, which is working to raise awareness about the disorder and gather more funding for research. "We don't get our fair share of funding in terms of the National Institutes of Health research dollars," said the Foundation's Executive Director Michelle Sie Whitten. She said there appears to be a link between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. "I believe that if we study people with Down Syndrome, that we will have a better, faster path toward treatments or even a cure to Alzheimer's," said Whitten. Once the fashion show was over, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow took the stage and performed several of her hits, including "All I Wanna Do." "Everybody looks so pretty tonight," she told the crowd. "Loved the fashion show. Loved it." It's not known yet what causes Down Syndrome, which the Centers for Disease Control estimated in 2011 affects one in 691 babies born in the U.S. See highlights of the fashion show in the video below: Follow @WTOP and @WTOPliving on Twitter.
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