Harsh and courageous guys on heavy roaring motorbikes high-speed racing on the deserted highway were always associated with masculinity and freedom. It looked like those men should know the real price of freedom and always oppose to official authorities… Born as a free movement, soon a lot of local bikers became pro-government sycophants and betrayed their country later. Today Informator.lg.ua will tell you about Alchevsk bikers who supported “Russian Spring” and brought war, grief and tears to the city.

How it all began: good deeds under Ukrainian flag and the corrupting breath of «Russian Spring»

Biker’s movement germinated in Alchevsk at the end 1980’s — beginning of 1990’s. But civilized organization of Alchevsk bikers appeared only in 2011, when Ukrainian lawyer Konstantin Nesterenko, more well-known as “Phantom” create the bike-club “Spirit of the winds”. Fans of iron knights registered as public organization and except traditional ridings and boozes began to take part active participation in the city events.

Bikers, rearranged the cooperation with local authority (predominantly presented the interests of ruled “Party of Regions”), took part in working Saturdays, held charity concerts, helped to disabled children, in one word, they were active in social activities, not forgetting of self-pr.

Eventually local authorities pick out to bikers the accommodation in the building of Station of Youth Technicians on Dunaiushvarovskaya street 1-a, where they spent their time, holding parties with boozes. It must be marked separately that Alchevsk bikers with a great pleasure used Ukrainian state symbols, decorating own bikes with yellow-blue flags on motocrosses and moto-marches before a war. Also, bikers took part part in all Ukrainian state holidays. So it was before coming sickening and destructive “Russian Spring”.

Felt the first signs of “Russian world” in Alchevsk, local bikers from club “Spirit of the winds” in biggest part removed to the side of separatists, actively taking part in pro-Russian meetings, where they were as the security of order.

Such behaviour of bikers is not so surprising: blindly supporting theirs “older brother” the leader of biker’s movement “Night Wolves” and follower of Putin Aleksander “Khirurg” (Surgeon) Zaldostanov Alchevsk fans of motobikes and beer almost as one decided to call war in native home.

There still was peaceful life in spring 2014 in Alchevsk, but separatist meetings had already been held, where delivered masses, mixed with unsober parcel of local bikers and marginals, together called Putin for help. They sacredly believed that somewhere near, on the suburbs of Alchevsk sinister 12 buses with “Right Sector” were coming for them.

“When Maidan had begun last year and the wave of tries to capture the power had come around cities of Donbass, Alchevsk organized their own “antimaidan”, in work of which our club also took part” — tells Konstantin Nesterenko in the interview to one of Russian portals.

How biker Phantom went on a war

“Right Sector” hasn’t come and Luhansk with outskirts felt fully all “charm” of “Russian World”, hidden in cellars and exhausted from the fear and despair. War came in Luhansk region.

Alchevsk bikkers as real admirers of “spiritual countersigns of Russian World” also took part in fightings on militia’s side.

Donbass filial of motoclub “Night Wolves” have already entered the “militia” from the beginning of war and it took part with the others in the “liberating” of settlements of “LPR” and “DPR”. “We do not simply fight, we free our land. We free it from fascist evil, from people, who are hard to call people” — such the commentaries about position of Alchevsk bike-club were said by  Konstantin Nesterenko, who 6 six months ago proudly decorated his bike with Ukrainian flag.

The leader of local bikers Konstantin “Phantom” Nesterenko also decided to go for a war.

Before this having alike experience of overnight on barricades of Luhansk SSU, “Phantom” decided to get real fight experience.

He began to wage in Stanitsa Luhanska, where Nesterenko took the oath on July 2014.

Further, “Phantom” tells by himself about his fighting way: “I took part in assault of Saur Mogila, from there I had nearly come to Mariupol in the rank of company commander of battalion “Miraj” of “DPR”. But I got splinter injury and I had to come home”.

As it became known, Nesterenko got injury by splinter from “Grad” in his leg on September 4, 2014 and it ostensibly became a reason to come back to native Alchevsk.

There, Nesterenko and his comrades began to engage with “humanitarian aid”, to hold traditional moto-marches. Special attention was paid to dates of 9th of May and 22th of June. These days bikers passed through the city, hung their bikes with flags of “LPR”, “Novorossiya”, RF and also Soviet banner of Victory was in trend.

Till that time all bikers found a time to get rid of their traditional form, where was on the back the coat of arms of Alchevsk, framed by a yellow-blue ribbon.

“Rats” on the ship and coming knife in the back

Moreover, bikers as a followers of all “root Russian” and main enemies of State Department of USA decided to get rid from all alien and foreign. First, got under sanctions, was the name of club. Except “Spirit of the winds” bikers call their club only like «Дух ветров».

Moreover, if you call guys “bikers” you can get a dozen of punches: severe men moto-separatists prefer to call themselves simply “Alchevsk motorcyclists”.

His brethren, who refused to take arm in hands, “Phantom” strongly condemns and consider them as “rats”.

“Earlier I considered that only 2-3 rats, ran from the ship, could be found among bikers, but it turned on a practice that there is a half of them or more. Somebody from them left their houses and disappeared in unknown direction, somebody says duty phrase that “it’s not my war”. That’s their choice, but my attitude to this people changed in a moment” — says Konstantin Nesterenko.

We communicated with one of Alchevsk bikers, who don’t have a wish to take part in the war on conditions of anonymity.

“Russia and Ukraine are fraternal peoples, we always live together and help each other. Today war come to us, but I won’t kill Ukrainians, because I’m Ukrainian too. Our bikers overdosed of watching TV and rushed to the barricades in a drunken stupor. Their hands are in blood  and they are guilty in deaths of a lot of people. I’m not with them, because I want to be fair to myself. Fascist attacked our land, but not from Ukrainian side. Also I’m glad about football ultras for their firm stance and honesty. They didn’t betray themselves and our country” — a man earlier was Alchevsk biker told it to us.

Betrayers love nowhere. That’s why it would be silly to delude and believe that Alchevsk bikers are waited with open arms in every corner of Russia. “Betrayed once, will betray more” — tells old proverb. That’s why Russian activists treat to bikers from uncontrolled Luhansk territory with danger, because they betrayed their country, so maybe they could thrust a knife in another backs?

Vitold Ofsentliy specially for Informator.lg.ua