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Night Wolves bikers lay flowers to Mound of Glory near Minsk

The Russian bikers are on a ride to Berlin, marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany

© EPA/TASS/ATYANA ZENKOVICH

MINSK, April 26. /TASS/. About 200 bikers, including 14 from the Russian biker club Night Wolves, on Sunday laid flowers to the Mound of Glory, a memorial complex honouring Soviet soldiers who fought during World War II, near Minsk.

The Russian bikers are on a ride to Berlin, marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. On Sunday, they arrived in the Belarusian capital city Minsk.

From the Mound of Glory, the bikers headed for the Khatyn Memorial memorializing innocent victims of Nazi massacre [the entire population of this Belarusian village was massacred by the Nazi during WWII, when the Nazi drove the inhabitants from their houses and into a shed, which was then set on fire. People trying to escape were killed by machine gun fire].

"Our key goal is to venerate the memory of our fathers and grandfathers who lost their lives liberating Europe. Also, our mission is to get united with our friends in the European Union," Andrei Bobrovsky, the leader the Night Wolves European ride, told journalists.

Late on Sunday, the bikers plan to reach the border city of Brest. Bobrovsky said there was contradictory information about visa-related issues. "We have received no official notification about visa annulment. Bikers obtained their visas by themselves," he noted.

"A representative from the Russian embassy will be present at the Russian-Polish border when the bikers will be going through border crossing procedures," Bobrovsky said.

According to earlier reports, another team of Russian bikers had crossed into Poland problem-free and had visited the Cemetery of the Red Army in Poland’s Braniewo.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan