(1 Jul 2016) Members of the controversial Russian motorcycle club Night Wolves – known for their vocal support for Russian President Vladimir Putin – arrived on Friday in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
Opponents of the visit waved Bulgarian, Ukrainian, NATO and European Union flags and shouted "Putin-terrorist!" and "This is not Moscow!"
Pro-Russian demonstrators displayed Soviet hammer-and-sickle flags and Russian flags and chanted "Russia!"
A high police presence prevented clashes between rival demonstrators.
The arrival of the Night Wolves in Sofia marked the first leg of their "Slavic World 2016" bike tour, which will pass through numerous Balkan countries on their way to the Slovak town of Nitra.
The announcement of the "Slavic March 2016" drew criticism in local media and on social networks, with some fearing a Kremlin provocation behind the initiative.
The motorcade of some 30 riders included Russians as well bikers from Eastern European countries.
Ahead of the bikers' arrival, police took two people into custody outside Sofia's Alexander Nevsky cathedral as tensions rose between rival groups.
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