Marat Kazakov, Stavropol. Exclusively to 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.
On February 16th, the Big Circle of the Terek Cossack Army (TCA) took place in Vladizavkaz. The place is symbolic. In times of the Russian Empire the headquarters of the TCA situated in Vladikavkaz. What were significant decisions made at the Circle? Were they about uniting the Terek Cossacks around the TCA? Or were they a PR campaign aimed at the registered Cossacks who got tired of moods in the TMCS? Come to us, we are strong and resolute, we even dare to criticize the authorities. And our boss is respectful – General Victor Kazantsev. And even your former ataman Vladimir Shevtsov joined us. What do you do? Let’s unite and demand from the state lands, plants, benefits. If it doesn’t give it to us, we will threaten it. If we are numerous, they will be frightened and give us what we want. For example, we don’t want the Stavropol Krai be a Krai, we will make it the Russian Republic. What? Laws? What laws? Why do we need laws? They are needless.
Of course I exaggerate, but the tendency is clear. Leaders of the non-registered Cossacks and their supporter Sergei Popov need to show that they are a real power, and make it quickly to gather as much as possible Cossacks who are indignant with rules in the TMCS. They need to state: we unite the Cossacks, rather than the register, our view must be considered.
They have to act quickly, as after April 26th the situation will change. It has already begun to change on March 1st, when Alexander Falko was reelected to the position of ataman in the Stavropol District of the TMCS. Falko was an often antihero of Sergei Popov’s (or Sergei Volgodonov) articles and was presented as the most unacceptable candidate for the Stavropol Cossacks. It is interesting that Popov didn’t publish significant articles after Falko’s reelecting, accusing him of falsification of the elections.
In the near future the situation will become even more clearer, especially if it is confirmed that Colonel Vyacheslav Pilipenko who is closely connected with the plenipotentiary envoy Khloponin will go to the polls. Will dear non-registered opposition Cossacks be bold enough to attack veteran of the Chechen campaign Pilipenko? It is a big question.
The room to work becomes narrow for those who want to destabilize the registered Cossacks. It seems leaders of the non-registered Cossacks will finally lose their place in the acute agenda after April 26th, when the ataman of the TMCS is elected. Considering the fact that the federal authorities demonstrate their desire to work with the Cossacks intensively, the new ataman will have powerful support. We hope that it will be enough not only to fix the situation in the army, but also to establish an economic basis for development of the Cossack community, which had to be established by ataman Klimenko in 2012.
