Russia calls on the Cossacks to ride again - this time in Ladas As a wave of terror attacks sweeps the country, Russia's warrior caste, the Cossacks, are reviving their role as guardians of the south, reports Tom Parfitt in Moscow

From: The Sunday Telegraph London | Date: December 14, 2003| Author: | Copyright information

EYES ABLAZE, Oleg Tishenko runs a finger down the pitted blade of a 19th-century sabre.

"We are ready to fulfil our historic duty," he says, making a slash through the air. "We have never been afraid of anyone. It is genetically impossible for a Cossack to experience fear. We must protect the borders of the motherland."

Here on Russia's fringe in the Caucasus, a rebirth is taking place. Under threat from Chechen terrorists, Russia has called on its "untamed horsemen" - the Cossacks - to resurrect their historic role as defenders of its southern frontier.

Once members of the most feared ...

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