By Vestnik Kavkaza
Last weekend the Russian capital hosted the third Cossack Village International Festival. Delegations from 11 Russian military Cossack units came to the festival which took place in Izmailovsky Park.
“We call Moscow Cossacks those citizens who define themselves as Cossacks,” the chairman of the Cossacks committee of Moscow Leonid Makurov explains. “These are followers of Cossacks from various Cossack units or people who haven’t lost their ties with the Cossacks, who share the emotional and mental code which is typical for the Cossacks, their understanding of reality, their traditions and their lifestyle. There are about 300 thousand such people. The majority of them are members of various social and non-profitable Cossack organizations. They are people who care about their state. The Cossacks didn’t forget that their grandfathers and grand-grandfathers extended our country by their conquests and work. So, the Cossacks are special people, and Cossack blood doesn’t let people get bored.”
At the same time, Makurov admits that “there are Cossacks in Moscow, who are mistaken. There are people who lost contacts with the Cossacks, with traditional places of living. But the capital traditionally attracts people. These people came here for years, they became Muscovites. The Committee on Cossacks Affairs deals with the problems which occur among these people. Our main target is to implement the state policy toward the Cossacks in Moscow.”
Explaining the state policy toward the Cossacks, Makurov said: “There was an initial concept of the Cossacks development. This year the Strategy of the Cossacks Development to 2020 has been adopted. It is a serious document which requires development of all spheres of the Cossacks’ life, who traditionally want to be useful to the state and the society. It is possible due to the unique 154th federal law On State Service of the Russian Cossacks. The state service in Russia is divided into several types: military state service, law-enforcement service, and state federal or municipal civil service. No other category of citizens who decided to establish a community has a special law on its activity, only the Cossacks have.”
Makurov defines three main groups of the Cossacks: “Firstly, anyone can be a Cossack in his heart. Some of you probably have Cossack ancestors, a grandmother or a grandfather, and you keep photos, memories, live the Cossack life or don’t. Who are you? You are free spirit Cossacks, Russian citizens who haven’t forgotten the traditions of fathers and grandfathers.
The second group includes a wide row of various social organizations which consolidate Cossacks by birth, Cossacks who want to be involved in some activity. In Moscow we counted 272 various Cossack organizations. Some of them appeared to be hyped-up; others showed serious work. Moscow has Cossack museums, Cossack art groups who are as talented as professional groups.
And the third, the most organized part of the Cossacks include those Russian citizens who are members of Cossack communities. According to the 154th law, members of the Cossack communities are citizens of the RF above 18, who follow the charter, know traditions of the Cossacks and accept responsibility for this or that state service.”
