Russia plans to deploy thousands of Cossacks to guard the World Cup, but the traditional paramilitary groups face criticism for their strident nationalism and attacks on protesters.
On Sunday, May 13, 2018, Don Cossacks practice on the bank of the Don River near the World Cup stadium before the Russian premier league soccer match between Rostov and Ural, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
During a parade Tuesday under the hot sun of southern Russia, a politician and a police chief lectured assembled Cossacks on how to "keep order" and remain polite with foreign fans, before a priest sprinkled their ranks with holy water. They'll patrol alongside police during the World Cup in Rostov-on-Don, two Cossacks to each cop.
"They are taught in the art of war from childhood, they obey their elders and serve the motherland," Cossack elder Igor Barannikov told The Associated Press. During the World Cup, "we will help in any way to prevent any attempt at destabilization."
(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Authorities hope Cossacks will protect fans while adding local color. Some will wear traditional fur hats, and a group of stunt riders will perform on horseback. Cossacks generally can't arrest or fine people, but some are notorious for using excessive force.
Men in Cossack uniforms used their fists and traditional whips to attack Russians protesting against President Vladimir Putin last month in central Moscow. Police did little to stop them. At the Sochi Olympics in 2014, Cossacks whipped members of the punk protest group Pussy Riot.
Barannikov said his Cossacks would be tolerant of outsiders.
"We are happy to welcome everyone here regardless of their ethnic background and faith, regardless of their gender," he said. "We are happy for all our guests and we ask them to respect and keep to the traditions of the region and the country they are visiting."
Cossacks are often hostile to LGBT rights. Barannikov told Radio Free Europe this week that his Cossacks would report same-sex couples to police if they saw them kissing during the World Cup. His group didn't respond to AP requests to clarify the comments.
Cossacks were historically a mix between colonists and a military caste on the Russian Empire's south and eastern frontiers. After decades of Soviet persecution, groups claiming to be Cossacks have multiplied under Putin, often with government funding.
While some Cossacks trace their ancestry back to the paramilitary groups broken up by the Soviet Union after the Russian Civil War, others have more tenuous links. Recent years have seen government-backed "Cossack" groups spring up in World Cup host cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, far from traditional heartlands. Some have gone to fight with Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Cossacks' legal status varies. Some groups are official police auxiliaries but others are essentially costumed social clubs. There's little oversight for Cossacks who work with police if they face accusations of using excessive force, typically against migrants or opposition activists.
Modern Cossacks' image as Christian warriors fighting for a strong Russian state isn't always backed up by history.
Cossacks crushed protests against the czars in the early 20th century, but led several earlier rebellions when they felt their autonomy was under threat.
They sometimes allied with Muslim ethnic groups against czarist forces, while many Kalmyks — members of an ethnically Mongolian minority who mostly follow Buddhism — lived as Cossacks and were widely accepted as such until the 20th century.
In Rostov-on-Don, Cossack official Sergei Strogonov said his patrolmen are learning English phrases to talk with fans.
"We're preparing for it so we don't end up humiliating ourselves. We're learning standard phrases of greeting so that the Cossack patrol can sort things out and provide the necessary help to any foreign citizen," he said. "We want our foreign guests to have only positive memories of us both as a people and as patriots of our country, and as people who love order."
MADRID (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz didn’t need to put his tender right arm to the test while easing to victory in his opening match at the Madrid Open on Friday.
The two-time defending champion was playing for the first time in nearly a month after his injured arm ruled him out of Monte Carlo and Barcelona. And after doubting this week he would be good to go in Spain’s capital, Alcaraz admitted he could afford to hold back a little in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Alexander Shevchenko.
“I didn’t hit my forehand 100%. I hit it softer than I used to hit it, but I think it helped me, you know, to, let’s say, stay relaxed,” Alcaraz said. “But the first thing that I was thinking about when I was stepping on the court is to stay healthy.
“I was really happy to not feel anything in the forearm, and after that I could increase my intensity a bit. It was great for me this match."
Defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka faced tougher resistance in her opening match while beating Magda Linette 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on the Caja Magica clay.
This was Alcaraz’s first match since the Miami Open quarterfinals nearly one month ago. Madrid is the Spaniard's first appearance on the European clay court swing — he struggled in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro in February — as he aims to win his first French Open title next month.
“Right now I’m thinking to be better or get better every day, and I’m thinking to be closer to my 100% here in Madrid." the two-time major champion said. "Let’s see how it’s going to be the next few weeks. But the main thing is to be ready for next tournament and obviously to Roland Garros.”
In Madrid, the third-ranked Alcaraz is seeded second behind Jannik Sinner and both enjoyed first-round byes.
Alcaraz played with a compression sleeve on his right arm from his wrist up past his elbow. But he looked pretty much like the same aggressive player who has dominated here for the past two years and given Spanish tennis fans hope there is life after Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz broke Shevchenko’s serve four times and will next face Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil.
Seyboth Wild upset Daniil Medvedev at last year's French Open and should offer a stiffer challenge to Alcaraz in the round of 32.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, another two-time Madrid champion, saw off Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 and will face Denis Shapovalov next.
Seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Facundo Bagnis 6-1, 6-4. Rublev’s last win came at Indian Wells in March.
Holger Rune was just two points from defeat against Mariano Navone before he rallied to force a second-set tiebreaker and finally prevailed 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Eighth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz beat Jack Draper 6-1, 7-5. Last year’s finalist Jan Lennard Struff, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Alejandro Davidovich, and Sebastian Baez also moved on.
SABALENKA'S SLOW START
The second-ranked Sabalenka struggled with her serve at times against Linette, but the two-time Australian Open winner struck her 10th ace on match point.
Sabalenka got some help from the net to get a key break and go up 5-3 in the third set when Linette was unable to reach a shot by the Belarusian that clipped the top of the tape.
Sabalenka has either won it all in Madrid as she did in 2021 and last year, or gone out in the first round as she did in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
“Hopefully it’s going to be a good sign and I will keep it like that,” she said. “I either lose in the first or I win (the title).”
Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-3 to take her season-leading win haul to 27 as she seeks her fourth title of 2024.
Rybakina will next face Egypt’s Mayar Sherif after she upset Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.
Danielle Collins extended her career-best win streak to 14 matches after beating Serb qualifier Olga Danilovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) from 6-4, 3-1 down.
Fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen, who lost the Australian Open final to Sabalenka, withdrew with a right thigh injury while trailing Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 2-0.
Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who made her breakout at Madrid last year, bettered 19-year-old Linda Noskova 4-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Carolina Garcia, and Jasmine Paolini also advanced.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Magda Linette, of Poland, reacts during her game against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarusian, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarusian, returns the ball to Magda Linette, of Poland, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, serves a ball to Alexander Shevchenko, of Kazakhstan, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, returns the ball to Alexander Shevchenko, of Kazakhstan, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, returns the ball to Alexander Shevchenko, of Kazakhstan, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, competes against Alexander Shevchenko, of Kazakhstan, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns the ball to Magda Linette, of Poland, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, returns the ball to Alexander Shevchenko, of Kazakhstan, during the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Friday, April 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
