Cossack Evaders

From the MT:
"Cossacks to Hunt Down Draft-Dodgers in Moscow"

Moscow draft dodgers beware: Cossack brigades are being mobilized to hunt down young men reluctant to complete mandatory military service, local news site M24.ru reported Wednesday. "Cossacks are concluding deals with [Moscow's military] enlistment offices to conduct raids to bring military conscripts into the army," said Sergei Shishkin, head of the Southeast District Cossack Organization, in comments carried by M24.ru. "We can join representatives of military enlistment offices and police in going door-to-door to hand the conscripts their draft papers." Some 1,400 Cossacks — members of a quasi-militant group predominantly found in Russia and Ukraine — are available to hunt the draft-dodgers, Shishkin said, adding that the group had already made agreements with two of Moscow's 27 military enlistment offices. Cossacks have re-emerged as public defenders of law and order in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, where they are presented as guardians of patriotic values. A few dozen Cossacks began patrolling Moscow's parks in December, in tandem with policemen, to curb drinking in public and smoking in places where it is banned, Russian media reported.  The Cossacks' inclusion in public patrolling was facilitated by the adoption last spring of a law on citizen participation in maintaining public order, which cemented their ability to play such roles in society. Cossacks, reputed to be ferocious fighters, drew international attention during last year's Sochi Olympics when they patrolled the Black Sea resort city wearing traditional uniform, at one point attacking Pussy Riot with tear gas and whips during a performance by the female protest group.  This spring's conscription will take place between April 1 and July 15, following medical examinations held in February and March.  Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 are eligible for conscription for a mandatory year of military service. Draft-dodgers face fines of up to 200,000 rubles ($3,222) and face up to two years in prison. The Defense Ministry recorded that 4,300 men across Russia had evaded last spring's conscription, a 20 percent decrease in the number of draft-dodgers compared to the previous year, according to M24.ru.

^ This is a pretty odd idea. The Czar once used Cossacks in its pogroms against the Jews and now they want to use them to catch draft evaders. Once when I was in Yaroslavl (before I knew any Russian) I was going to my school when some policemen stopped me and started shouting at me. I said (in English) that I didn't understand what they wanted and so walked past them. They kept following me until my teacher finally explained to them that I wasn't Russian and so didn't have to serve in the Russian military. Apparently, they were hanging out at the university to check the men's internal passport to see if they had either served in the military or had an exemption. Russian men all have to serve in the military and those in college get exemptions. I've said it before I've only met one Russian man who has ever served in the military. The rest all got out of it some how. In my case it was clear that the police knew I wasn't a Russian and just wanted to make a show and probably tried to get a bribe - but I couldn't understand them. To make sure that didn't happen again my teacher had an id card made up in Russian that explained everything. When I was back studying in Russia a few years later I was never asked to prove my status (except for one time in Moscow, but when I said - in English - that I was going to call the American Embassy and took out my cell phone the policeman walked away.)  Getting back to this article. I think it is a very bad idea to have civilians act as the police. That is the job of the police. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/cossacks-to-hunt-down-draft-dodgers-in-moscow/517333.html