#4 - JRL 7306
BBC
August 29, 2003
Cossacks back to fight again
By Sarah Rainsford
BBC, Moscow

In a dramatic recreation of the Cossack glory days, a wild-eyed warrior on horseback tears through the long grass of the Russian steppe swinging a silver sabre above his head.

Cossack cannons fire volleys at the French along the river Don. Behind the smoke clouds, Turks and Cossacks clash glistening swords.

For generations, battle was what these men did best. They were fearsome warriors who defended Russia's borders for the tsars and fought off her enemies. But in Russia today the action is only for show and the modern-day Cossacks' only fight is political. The cossacks were suppressed by the Communists after many sided with the Whites in the Russian Civil War.

Defenders

But since the early 1990s the Cossacks have been busy reviving their culture. Their influence growing, they are now demanding federal status and land rights and believe it is a battle they can win. "Our relations with Moscow are improving," says Viktor Vodolatsky, chief ataman, or leader, of the Don Cossacks during a break in the first ever Cossack congress, in the southern city of Novocherkassk.

"President Putin now has his own Cossack adviser. I think the president is a wise man, who understands that he needs us to guarantee law and order in Russia."

As they parade proudly past their ataman in full festival dress, the Cossacks certainly look like a formidable force. At the gateway to the Caucasus in the troubled Russian south, these nationalist-minded men cast themselves as modern-day defenders of Russia's borders and her Orthodox faith. The Cossacks' own past is chequered but Ataman Nikolai Gankin from Kamchatka in the Far East believes their revival and the revival of Russia, will go hand in hand.

"The Cossacks today are at the vanguard of our people," he says. "Our souls ache for Russia and her fate. We must be united as Cossacks to stop our country being torn apart." Discipline and pride

Most Cossacks these days are careful to keep within the law. In their historic heartland around Rostov-on-Don, pogroms are a thing of the past. However, in neighbouring Krasnodar region, relations with a Turkic minority remain tense.

The Cossacks believe the rugged steppe of the south is theirs, steeped in the blood of their ancestors. Anyone is welcome to live there, they say, as long as it is by Cossack laws. Some, like the burly Viktor Demyanenko, remain ready to fight those they see as intruders. "The Russian nation is being diluted," Mr Demyanenko declares as large beads of sweat roll from his brow. "There are no Russians left at all in some villages! The foreigners are like weed, like locusts destroying everything in their path. So sometimes we have to jump in and scare them a bit."

At the Cossack Cadet School in Novocherkassk the boys are taught patriotism, not racism. They learn strict discipline and pride in their ancestry. Dreams of military

The school was first opened in 1883 by Emperor Alexander III but was forced into exile by the Soviets. Today it is back in its original premises raising Cossacks for the 21st Century. Similar cadet schools are re-opening now all over Russia.

Thirteen-year-old Misha performs a proud tour, room-by-room dressed impeccably in military-style uniform. He points out portraits of Cossack heroes on the walls - some of the great men who drove Russia forward. Beside them hangs a picture of President Putin. The Cossacks always served the state, so like most boys here Misha dreams of life in the military.

"Being a Cossack is my life," he says. "I'm studying here because it is prestigious to be a Cossack and I have big plans for my future."

On a log outside, a small group of boys sing of the Soviet past, a melancholy tale of the repression of their ancestors. Now the Cossacks are free to serve again, they see the cadets as key to their regeneration. It will be up to these boys to prove the Cossacks relevance and their role in modern day Russia.