T/C
10:00
Audio
Video
g
Southern Russia, and the Cossacks are beginning another night patrol.
Repressed under the Soviet regime, Russias traditional warriors are making a comeback, and are once again protecting the countrys borders.
The Cossacks have been assisting the police and army as volunteers for well over a decade...
But now Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to make this role official with a new law. He wants to pay the Cossacks to form their own security forces.
Gate opens, police jeep with Cossacks in the back seat goes on patrol in town..
00:32
Cossack chief Mikhail:
So, there are volunteer patrols, responsible for tackling drug smuggling, volunteer patrols responsible for preventing crime, and you could say, for the establishment of social order. Here we are doing all of this, and nobody does it better than we do. The point is that Cossacks are Orthodox Christians, with duties to the church, the tsar, the president and the fatherland. And this fatherland we have to defend.
Hundreds of Cossacks on parade through town.
01:01
Historically, the Cossacks are most famous for being the boldest soldiers and most skilful horsemen of the Russian Tsars.
In return for their military service they were given independence and special status. And at times they even turned their swords against their imperial leaders to keep it that way.
Unfortunately for them, most Cossacks backed the wrong horse during the Russian Revolution, and were almost wiped out by the Communists.
Romantics idealise the Cossacks as noble freedom-fighters who helped build the Russian empire, while others remember them as brutal tools of a corrupt Tsarist regime.
Attitudes towards todays Cossacks are just as mixed. To some they represent the revival of Russia. To others they are maverick has-beens.
These Cossack image problems have kept them from being given any official military role.
But things like the terrorist attack on Beslan a year ago, have convinced Russian President Vladamir Putin his struggling security forces need help and helping defend Russia is what earned the Cossacks their name.
And its not all just for show. Cossacks know their local terrain and are fiercely loyal towards the regions they have defended for generations.
Yuri Bondarev is a Cossack who lives on the border with Chechnya
Parade continues.
View of Chechen village from distance.
02:17
Yuri Bondarev - District Administrator, Chechen Border:
At the moment when the tragedy happened in Beslan, all the men of military age were ready, in general, were waiting for trouble here too, but here, thank God, nothing happened.
We live with this all the time. We never forget it, and maybe it will happen again at any moment. Nobody gives any guarantees.
View of border checkpoint, pan to gun-post.
Shots of Russian border village from moving car.
02:45
Moscow hopes a smaller professional army will be much better. And if theres anyone in Russia who wants the job, its the Cossacks.
Now Cossack schools are springing up all over the region. Children as young as six are taught the importance of Cossack history, Orthodox Christianity, and of course, defending the Motherland against its enemies - who, according to some Cossacks, are not hard to find.
More parade.
In Cossack school six-year-old Cossacks in uniform dance traditional dance with plastic swords.
03:11
Cossack Teacher:
Local administration and government are favouring us at the present time. Yes, until now it has been very difficult - the law about Cossacks couldnt get accepted until now in the State Duma. The Jews have been obstructing it. They are afraid because then the Cossacks in general will stand tall and show their full strength.
Class listen to Cossack teacher
03:35
Cossack General
Vladimir Gromov:
Opposition in relation to this law is not a surprise for me, because there are many anti-Cossack forces in the country.
They know neither the role nor the place of the Cossacks in the history of Russia, and they don't know our goals and tasks at the present time.
Photo of Gromov with Putin.
Interview with General Gromov.
03:58
One such anti-Cossack feels that today's Cossacks are exploiting their famous name to squeeze as much money and clout from the Russian government as they possibly can.
Establish Razmik.
04:07
Gevorgian Razmik, Representative of Armenians Union:
We Armenians are very grateful, we bow down before Cossacks, but not before the ones of today. They are not Cossacks. We are not comparing them, for pitys sake God forbid that we would compare those Cossacks who bled on the Russian fronts for Russia, for us-Armenians, defending us as Orthodox Christians, And comparing with these Cossacks today!? No, God forbid! We are not comparing!
Interview with Gevorgian Razmik.
Old Cossack portraits on wall.
04:34
Cossack General
Vladimir Gromov:
When somebody is against us having the law, so are they for Russia or not? If they are against Cossacks, they are against Russia.
Interview with General Gromov.
04:42
The Cossacks have always had a strong idea of what Russia should be - white and Orthodox Christian like them. Immigrants from the south, especially Muslims - their traditional enemy - are seen as a threat to their way of life.
General Gromov with Cossacks at Orthodox Christian service on parade day.
Russia does have plenty of people the Cossacks think dont belong in their Russian homeland. Ethnic minorities are often attacked by gangs of often drunken Cossacks.
Turkish men sit around table.
05:08
Razul Muhutvin (Turkish victim):
We did not even resist, children were throwing up, women were crying, but they didnt listen They beat us, they were beating us very badly. They said only, Well, go away, we are sick of your Muslim customs. Get out, as soon as you can, get out of Krasnodar!
Interview with Muhutvin.
Cossacks boots marching cu.
There was blood everywhere..
Cossack boots marching cu.
They were searching for shovel and said they would bury us alive. At that moment, it turned out that they didnt have a shovel or anything, but they had truncheons and whips. They beat us very badly.
Interview with Muhutvin.
05:49
Biktash Hazimov (Turkish victim 2):
They caught me too, and beat me till I lost consciousness.
Interview with Hazimov.
Marching boots cu.
This is not humanity, this is - I dont know! I had never seen such a thing in all my life.
Marching boots cu.
My father never even touched me with his hands. But they beat me and I will never forgive it.
06:16
The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the conflicts that followed, meant that refugees from strife-torn former Soviet republics became a major headache for the authorities in the Southern Russia.
Although the flood of refugees has slowed, the relatively wealthy Black Sea region of Krasnodar is still debating what to do with the ones already there.
Controversial Governor Alexander Tkachev, a Cossack who came to power with a nationalist agenda, has pledged to force them out.
Shots of town of Krasnodar.
06:50
Alexander Tkachev,
Governor of Krasnodar Territory:
Well, that monument devoted to the Cossacks in front of the local administration says a lot.
Shots of Cossack statue.
Unfortunately, there are many factors to consider when immigrants come here. There are people without any particular professions and as a rule, they had committed crimes in the places where they were living before. And of course, its hard to find a job and registration, and a place to stay for the person who has arrived, and as a rule, he begins to deal with drugs, embezzlements, thefts and so on, if not worse. Of course this is bothering us and it is bothering the Cossacks too.
Interview with Governor Tkachev.
07:28
Governor Tkachev's view of immigrants as criminals is not backed up by the statistics. And many of the so-called illegals have the right as former Soviet citizens to live in Russia.
But that right is often only secured with bribes that most cant afford. Without the right documents, normal life is impossible, and deportation is always a worry.
Turks at market.
Krasnaya Street market
07:52
Ellara Muratova (Turkish immigrant):
Well, its shown on TV sometimes (Governor) Tkachev says about us, he says that all other nationalities who are not Russians must not live within the region, especially if its Turks or Armenians. We have to exile them until they are all gone. The next day I come into class and, sometimes they laugh, and say Youre going to be exiled, the Cossacks will exile you from here!
Interview with Muratova.
08:16
Sarvar Tedorov,
Chairman of Meskhetian Turks Civil Rights Group:
There is deliberate state policy to exile ethnic minorities from Krasnodar territory, and if its possible from the (whole) North Caucasus.
Thats why to complete such shady business and bad eh... negative affairs, they unfortunately use such social organizations as the Cossacks.
There is no Stalin, but Stalinism still exists now under the guise of democracy. Stop international Stalinism, genocide. It is happening now, not in the past - today!
Sarvar pours water then goes into his house.
Interview with Sarvar Tedorov.
Women listen (high-angle).
08:53
Those with dark skin, black-asses as the insult goes, are much more likely to be stopped and searched by the authorities and their Cossack volunteers.
The Cossacks admit strained relations with ethnic minorities, but claim this only includes those who have arrived in the last decade-and-a-half, including many Armenians, who are now the largest ethnic group in the region after Russians.
To the Cossacks in power now, this ethnic mix leaves them on the verge of chaos.
Police and Cossacks from jeep patrol stop and search men in street with dark skin.
09:24
Cossack General
Vladimir Gromov:
The second after Russians! Armenians! Here we have problems!
Its not possible to convert Russia, its not possible to convert the Kuban region into an alleyway, to come and live in so easily. If this is normal in European countries, for Gods sake, let Europe live by these standards, but we want to live so that nobody offends us or limits our rights when they come to live in our house.
Gromov marching.
09:55
Critics say the Cossacks are living with stereotypes of the past and struggling to find their place in modern Russian society.
So will President Putins new law increase their powers, or is it intended only to reign them in?
Putin has made it clear that he doesnt want a powerful, independent Cossack army, but an auxiliary force firmly under government control. So after coming so far, the Cossacks may find themselves marching in circles to Putins tune.
Whatever the case, the next generation of Cossacks is still dreaming of a glorious future.
Shots of ancient old Cossack characters attending march.
Cossacks marching in circles
in town square.
Back at Cossack school, two 9-year-old children assemble Kalashnikovs.
10:25
Masha (9-year-old Cossack girl):
We especially like to take the guns to pieces in this class.
I want to be a defender of the fatherland, to make law and order everywhere, I want to be a policewoman.
Two 9-year-old children assemble Kalashnikovs - cont.
10:44
These children want to give their lives to defending Mother Russia. Given current policy in the Caucasus, they may just get their wish.
Kalashnikov Clicks!
10:00
Audio
Video
g
Southern Russia, and the Cossacks are beginning another night patrol.
Repressed under the Soviet regime, Russias traditional warriors are making a comeback, and are once again protecting the countrys borders.
The Cossacks have been assisting the police and army as volunteers for well over a decade...
But now Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to make this role official with a new law. He wants to pay the Cossacks to form their own security forces.
Gate opens, police jeep with Cossacks in the back seat goes on patrol in town..
00:32
Cossack chief Mikhail:
So, there are volunteer patrols, responsible for tackling drug smuggling, volunteer patrols responsible for preventing crime, and you could say, for the establishment of social order. Here we are doing all of this, and nobody does it better than we do. The point is that Cossacks are Orthodox Christians, with duties to the church, the tsar, the president and the fatherland. And this fatherland we have to defend.
Hundreds of Cossacks on parade through town.
01:01
Historically, the Cossacks are most famous for being the boldest soldiers and most skilful horsemen of the Russian Tsars.
In return for their military service they were given independence and special status. And at times they even turned their swords against their imperial leaders to keep it that way.
Unfortunately for them, most Cossacks backed the wrong horse during the Russian Revolution, and were almost wiped out by the Communists.
Romantics idealise the Cossacks as noble freedom-fighters who helped build the Russian empire, while others remember them as brutal tools of a corrupt Tsarist regime.
Attitudes towards todays Cossacks are just as mixed. To some they represent the revival of Russia. To others they are maverick has-beens.
These Cossack image problems have kept them from being given any official military role.
But things like the terrorist attack on Beslan a year ago, have convinced Russian President Vladamir Putin his struggling security forces need help and helping defend Russia is what earned the Cossacks their name.
And its not all just for show. Cossacks know their local terrain and are fiercely loyal towards the regions they have defended for generations.
Yuri Bondarev is a Cossack who lives on the border with Chechnya
Parade continues.
View of Chechen village from distance.
02:17
Yuri Bondarev - District Administrator, Chechen Border:
At the moment when the tragedy happened in Beslan, all the men of military age were ready, in general, were waiting for trouble here too, but here, thank God, nothing happened.
We live with this all the time. We never forget it, and maybe it will happen again at any moment. Nobody gives any guarantees.
View of border checkpoint, pan to gun-post.
Shots of Russian border village from moving car.
02:45
Moscow hopes a smaller professional army will be much better. And if theres anyone in Russia who wants the job, its the Cossacks.
Now Cossack schools are springing up all over the region. Children as young as six are taught the importance of Cossack history, Orthodox Christianity, and of course, defending the Motherland against its enemies - who, according to some Cossacks, are not hard to find.
More parade.
In Cossack school six-year-old Cossacks in uniform dance traditional dance with plastic swords.
03:11
Cossack Teacher:
Local administration and government are favouring us at the present time. Yes, until now it has been very difficult - the law about Cossacks couldnt get accepted until now in the State Duma. The Jews have been obstructing it. They are afraid because then the Cossacks in general will stand tall and show their full strength.
Class listen to Cossack teacher
03:35
Cossack General
Vladimir Gromov:
Opposition in relation to this law is not a surprise for me, because there are many anti-Cossack forces in the country.
They know neither the role nor the place of the Cossacks in the history of Russia, and they don't know our goals and tasks at the present time.
Photo of Gromov with Putin.
Interview with General Gromov.
03:58
One such anti-Cossack feels that today's Cossacks are exploiting their famous name to squeeze as much money and clout from the Russian government as they possibly can.
Establish Razmik.
04:07
Gevorgian Razmik, Representative of Armenians Union:
We Armenians are very grateful, we bow down before Cossacks, but not before the ones of today. They are not Cossacks. We are not comparing them, for pitys sake God forbid that we would compare those Cossacks who bled on the Russian fronts for Russia, for us-Armenians, defending us as Orthodox Christians, And comparing with these Cossacks today!? No, God forbid! We are not comparing!
Interview with Gevorgian Razmik.
Old Cossack portraits on wall.
04:34
Cossack General
Vladimir Gromov:
When somebody is against us having the law, so are they for Russia or not? If they are against Cossacks, they are against Russia.
Interview with General Gromov.
04:42
The Cossacks have always had a strong idea of what Russia should be - white and Orthodox Christian like them. Immigrants from the south, especially Muslims - their traditional enemy - are seen as a threat to their way of life.
General Gromov with Cossacks at Orthodox Christian service on parade day.
Russia does have plenty of people the Cossacks think dont belong in their Russian homeland. Ethnic minorities are often attacked by gangs of often drunken Cossacks.
Turkish men sit around table.
05:08
Razul Muhutvin (Turkish victim):
We did not even resist, children were throwing up, women were crying, but they didnt listen They beat us, they were beating us very badly. They said only, Well, go away, we are sick of your Muslim customs. Get out, as soon as you can, get out of Krasnodar!
Interview with Muhutvin.
Cossacks boots marching cu.
There was blood everywhere..
Cossack boots marching cu.
They were searching for shovel and said they would bury us alive. At that moment, it turned out that they didnt have a shovel or anything, but they had truncheons and whips. They beat us very badly.
Interview with Muhutvin.
05:49
Biktash Hazimov (Turkish victim 2):
They caught me too, and beat me till I lost consciousness.
Interview with Hazimov.
Marching boots cu.
This is not humanity, this is - I dont know! I had never seen such a thing in all my life.
Marching boots cu.
My father never even touched me with his hands. But they beat me and I will never forgive it.
06:16
The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the conflicts that followed, meant that refugees from strife-torn former Soviet republics became a major headache for the authorities in the Southern Russia.
Although the flood of refugees has slowed, the relatively wealthy Black Sea region of Krasnodar is still debating what to do with the ones already there.
Controversial Governor Alexander Tkachev, a Cossack who came to power with a nationalist agenda, has pledged to force them out.
Shots of town of Krasnodar.
06:50
Alexander Tkachev,
Governor of Krasnodar Territory:
Well, that monument devoted to the Cossacks in front of the local administration says a lot.
Shots of Cossack statue.
Unfortunately, there are many factors to consider when immigrants come here. There are people without any particular professions and as a rule, they had committed crimes in the places where they were living before. And of course, its hard to find a job and registration, and a place to stay for the person who has arrived, and as a rule, he begins to deal with drugs, embezzlements, thefts and so on, if not worse. Of course this is bothering us and it is bothering the Cossacks too.
Interview with Governor Tkachev.
07:28
Governor Tkachev's view of immigrants as criminals is not backed up by the statistics. And many of the so-called illegals have the right as former Soviet citizens to live in Russia.
But that right is often only secured with bribes that most cant afford. Without the right documents, normal life is impossible, and deportation is always a worry.
Turks at market.
Krasnaya Street market
07:52
Ellara Muratova (Turkish immigrant):
Well, its shown on TV sometimes (Governor) Tkachev says about us, he says that all other nationalities who are not Russians must not live within the region, especially if its Turks or Armenians. We have to exile them until they are all gone. The next day I come into class and, sometimes they laugh, and say Youre going to be exiled, the Cossacks will exile you from here!
Interview with Muratova.
08:16
Sarvar Tedorov,
Chairman of Meskhetian Turks Civil Rights Group:
There is deliberate state policy to exile ethnic minorities from Krasnodar territory, and if its possible from the (whole) North Caucasus.
Thats why to complete such shady business and bad eh... negative affairs, they unfortunately use such social organizations as the Cossacks.
There is no Stalin, but Stalinism still exists now under the guise of democracy. Stop international Stalinism, genocide. It is happening now, not in the past - today!
Sarvar pours water then goes into his house.
Interview with Sarvar Tedorov.
Women listen (high-angle).
08:53
Those with dark skin, black-asses as the insult goes, are much more likely to be stopped and searched by the authorities and their Cossack volunteers.
The Cossacks admit strained relations with ethnic minorities, but claim this only includes those who have arrived in the last decade-and-a-half, including many Armenians, who are now the largest ethnic group in the region after Russians.
To the Cossacks in power now, this ethnic mix leaves them on the verge of chaos.
Police and Cossacks from jeep patrol stop and search men in street with dark skin.
09:24
Cossack General
Vladimir Gromov:
The second after Russians! Armenians! Here we have problems!
Its not possible to convert Russia, its not possible to convert the Kuban region into an alleyway, to come and live in so easily. If this is normal in European countries, for Gods sake, let Europe live by these standards, but we want to live so that nobody offends us or limits our rights when they come to live in our house.
Gromov marching.
09:55
Critics say the Cossacks are living with stereotypes of the past and struggling to find their place in modern Russian society.
So will President Putins new law increase their powers, or is it intended only to reign them in?
Putin has made it clear that he doesnt want a powerful, independent Cossack army, but an auxiliary force firmly under government control. So after coming so far, the Cossacks may find themselves marching in circles to Putins tune.
Whatever the case, the next generation of Cossacks is still dreaming of a glorious future.
Shots of ancient old Cossack characters attending march.
Cossacks marching in circles
in town square.
Back at Cossack school, two 9-year-old children assemble Kalashnikovs.
10:25
Masha (9-year-old Cossack girl):
We especially like to take the guns to pieces in this class.
I want to be a defender of the fatherland, to make law and order everywhere, I want to be a policewoman.
Two 9-year-old children assemble Kalashnikovs - cont.
10:44
These children want to give their lives to defending Mother Russia. Given current policy in the Caucasus, they may just get their wish.
Kalashnikov Clicks!