Cossacks return to roots in Caucasus
Vladimir Mukhin
29 Jun 2001
PYATIGORSK – Just outside this North Caucasus town at a police checkpoint on the Rostov-Baku road, a young man in camouflage carefully checks the papers of every passenger on a bus. The young man isn’t a policeman, he’s a member of a Cossack patrol, which carries out document checks and vehicle inspections together with the police.
For more than 200 years now, since the days of conquering Gen. Alexei Yermolov, the Cossacks have made it their duty to protect Russian settlers from attacks by "infidels." People coming to rest and relax in the health resort town of Pyatigorsk today will see Cossacks at the market, at holiday homes and in public places like parks, squares and discos.
Dressed in traditional dark blue uniforms, the Cossacks stand out in the crowd, and for many people their presence conveys a sense of security. Timofei Derevyanko, ataman or leader of the Goryachevodsk Cossack community in Pyatigorsk said this Cossack presence is visible throughout the region.
Other Cossacks agree. "The Cossacks in Stavropol Krai have established 33 self-defense detachments and dozens of volunteer patrols and Cossack security firms, bringing together 8,000 Cossacks," said Vasily Bondarev, ataman of the Tersky Cossack troops and secretary of the Stavropol Krai Security Council.
Bondarev said the Tersky Cossacks have formed patrols in the districts bordering on Chechnya and Dagestan, for which they get an annual 18-million ruble allocation from the regional budget. He also spoke in favor of changing the law to allow Cossacks to carry arms, as they did before the revolution, and said he supports a strong state and restrictions on migration from Chechnya. (There are 180,000 migrants from Chechnya in Stavropol Krai.)
Rest of article here: http://www.therussiajournal.com/index.htm?obj=4692
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