Yekaterinburg traffic police launch case against Putin’s favorite biker

Traffic police in Yekaterinburg have launched a criminal case against Alexander “the Surgeon” Zaldostanov, the leader of the biker gang “the Night Wolves.” In recent years, Zaldostanov’s group has become internationally famous for hosting “patriotic” events, winning millions of dollars in state contracts, and participating in Russia’s “anti-Maidan,” pro-Putin political movement.

Zaldostanov is being charged with riding his motorcycle without a helmet, following an appeal to police by Maxim Yedryshov, the local representative of a national car-owner organization. According to a letter Yedryshov received from the Yekaterinburg police department, disciplinary measures have already been taken against the traffic officer on duty who failed to ticket Zaldostanov, when he rode through the city without a helmet on May 4 in a Victory Day parade.

Zaldostanov has said in the past that he doesn’t intend to start wearing a helmet when riding his motorcycle, despite the law, because it clashes with his “personal style.”

For more on the Night Wolves, see: Putin’s favorite bikers just got a ton of Crimean real estate almost for free