By Vestnik Kavkaza
The Big Circle of the Terek Military Cossack Society (TMCS) will take place on April 26th. A long-expected event should happen there which will mark the end of a crisis among Terek Cossacks – a new ataman will be elected.
A role of a leader is very important and chargeable in the Cossack space. First of all, Cossacks want to be sure that an ataman knows exactly what to do and how to do it. Secondly, that he is able to explain what is important for Cossacks and how it can be achieved. Thirdly, he should be responsible before Cossacks where he leads them. In other case Cossacks will shiver, which has actually happened.
The former ataman, Sergei Klimenko, was elected at the Big Circle of TMCS on September 8th, 2012, and appointed by the presidential order on December 8th. By the time Klimenko seemed to be a good candidate – a general of the police and a smart and self-confident leader. His predecessor Vasily Bondaryov handed the Cossack army to the new ataman in a bad condition. There were internal contradictions between departments, and many people insisted that the Stavropol Department, which was the largest, dominated and prevented the consideration of opinions of small departments; however, all problems could be solved. The main question was: where should the Cossacks move to? How should they develop? What was their role in development of the North Caucasus and the Russian state in general? The questions are fundamental, and without answers the existence of the Cossack army appeared to be difficult.
The new ataman had to answer these questions. However, he had two ways to do this: to develop thoughtful, strategically important decisions which probably wouldn’t solve all problems at once, but would enable him to improve the army for a long term, or by putting responsibility for opinions of Cossacks on the state. It is well-known what ataman Klimenko chose. He demanded unprecedented investments – lands, money, enterprises, and resorts – without giving a plan for how he was going to use them.
Nobody could say what the ataman was thinking, putting forward such claims. Did he think that some Cossacks supported him? Yes, they did. And so? Following the logic of the situation, then they should have put pressure on the state, trying to get what they wanted. However, the Cossacks didn’t get used to “shaking” the state which they had to defend. So, the position of the ataman, which seemed to be bold and firm initially, began to cause doubts among Cossacks.
Klimenko and his team realized it and chose the simplest way again. Instead of an attempt to normalize relations with the authorities, the army command began to attract Cossacks to its side, presenting itself as the only force which stood for interests of the Cossacks. Simultaneously, at first the authorities of the Stavropol Krai didn’t want to deal with Sergei Klimenko, and later church authorities urged him to be sensible.
In September 2013 Metropolitan Kirill imposed a penance on Klimenko who decided to resign. However, he left the army in such a terrible situation that some people said: the army is clashed in two – many Cossacks didn’t want to live without Klimenko and didn’t want the chairman of the Council of Elders, Vasily Bondaryov, to be their ataman.
To be continued
