As hundreds of motorcyclists roared out of the Night Wolves biker club headquarters for an annual springtime rally around Moscow, there was an intoxicating mix of petrol and patriotism in the air.



Twenty of them were planning to follow the Red Army’s route across Europe and reach Berlin by 9 May, the 70th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Soviet Union.



But while the Red Army pushed all the way to the Reichstag, the bikers are likely be stopped at the Polish border in what appears to be a backlash over Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

Leader of the Night Wolves, Alexander “Surgeon” Zaldostanov, a personal friend of Vladimir Putin who is on the US and Canadian sanctions lists, has not received a Schengen visa, and the Polish foreign ministry said on Friday it would deny entry to the Russian bikers.



But the Night Wolves vowed to ride on nonetheless, with Zaldostanov calling the Polish government’s stance an example of “anti-Russian hysteria”.

“This is an attempt to rewrite history and take our victory away from us,” Zaldostanov said before donning a tank driver’s helmet and leading the column of motorcyclists out of his Mad Max-inspired bike centre. “That’s the main goal of what’s going on right now, so that what happened in Kiev will happen in Moscow.”

Massive “Maidan” protests in Kiev ousted Russian-leaning president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 and led to an association agreement with the European Union, a move applauded by EU member Poland.



In response, Moscow annexed Crimea and backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Members of the Night Wolves in Ukraine helped Russian forces take over Crimea and have fought with the rebels in the east.



Zaldostanov, who wears the medal of honour he received from Putin in 2013 on his club vest, started an “anti-Maidan” movement earlier this year to protect the Kremlin from any pro-western demonstrations.

After banning the bikers, the Polish foreign ministry said it had received notes about the ride less than a week before the start and lacked information on the bikers’ route and where they would be staying.



But PM Ewa Kopacz called the rally a “provocation” and said it could be intended “to disturb our security and put the Polish people in danger of distress”.

A “No to the Russian bandits’ ride through Poland” Facebook event started by a Krakow biker had garnered well over 12,000 members as of Saturday.



“Is that a warning to European nations? Or the beginning of Russian aggression?”, the Facebook event read.

But the Night Wolves said they had notified Poland of their route weeks in advance and that they wanted to pay their respects at war memorials, not cause a provocation.



“Two years ago we went to Berlin and no one had any problems,” said rally organiser Andrei Bobrovsky, adding that he wants the “whole world to see” if they are stopped at the border.

“The real provocation is an American armoured column going through cities (in Estonia),” Zaldostanov said, referring to the parade of US and British troops near the Russian border in February.



“Here motorcyclists are riding without weapons, going to graves of their grandfathers that died there.”

Well over 20 million Soviet citizens were killed during the second world war, and Victory Day remains one of Russia’s most cherished holidays. It has taken on more contentious political significance amid the conflict in Ukraine.



The new pro-western government, which includes many nationalist politicians, has been labelled by the Russian media as a “fascist junta,” and the St George’s ribbon representing Soviet military valour has been adopted as the unofficial symbol of the pro-Russian separatists in the east.

Western leaders including David Cameron and Barack Obama have declined Putin’s invitation to Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, although North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will reportedly attend.

According to Zaldostanov, 30,000 Polish bikers have adopted a resolution in support of the ride to Berlin.



Also speaking out in favour of the ride was the leader of a group of motorcyclists from Poland who seek to raise awareness of the execution of tens of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet authorities in Katyn in 1940, an odd ally given that Zaldostanov is an outspoken supporter of Joseph Stalin.

Yury Grozyashy, who was wearing a leather vest emblazoned with a red star and the words “Victory Road 1941-45” in honour of the ride, said the Night Wolves had several alternative routes that he declined to reveal.

“We had a great victory over evil. Now it’s coming into the Russian world again,” said fellow Night Wolves member Andrei Sloboda. “We need to show we are united into a single fist.”