Cossacks once again patrolling Moscow streets, ?We?re like Chuck Norris!?

Two Russian Cossacks, right, watch pedestrians passing by as they patrol a Moscow railway station (AP/Pavel Go??They've technically been around for centuries, but a small group of Cossacks recently returned to officially patrol the streets of Moscow.

We're like Chuck Norris!" Cossack patrol leader Igor Gulichev said, comparing his colleagues to the role made famous by Norris in the 1990's television sitcom "Walker, Texas Ranger."

According to the Russian 2010 census, some 650,000 citizens self-identified as Cossacks but only eight of the patrolman, originally heralded for their sword-fighting ability, have been selected to walk the streets of Moscow looking for beggars, drunks and illegally parked cars, according to the Associated Press.

But even as their modern role has shifted, the newly appointed Cossacks headed out to patrol in their traditional uniforms and fur hats. The AP says that along with actual crime fighting duties, the Kremlin hopes the return of the Cossacks will "promote conservative values and appeal to nationalists."

The political angle leads straight to the top of Russia's government. In 2005, Russian? President Vladimir Putin was inducted into the "Cossack Host," and bestowed the rank of Cossack colonel, a title once held by the country's imperial czars.

Gulichev said if his patrol passes this initial test they could eventually become armed and salaried auxiliary force. Currently, they are a volunteer force but do received free city bus passes.

An All-Russia Cossack Host with 400,000 members reporting directly to Putin will be launched by the end of the year.

And to those who point to their controversial past, which has included anti-Semitic, Catholic and Polish stances, Gulichey said the modern incarnation is no different than those famed Texas Rangers.

"They are just like Cossacks, and they work for the government, but they're welcomed with open arms," he said. "How come this should be allowed in America, but not in Russia, with our rich Cossack traditions?"

However, the first Cossack patrol did not yield substantial results. According to the AP, the patrol removed two elderly beggars, an unlicensed vendor selling socks and an old woman selling dried, wild mushrooms. The unlicensed vendor reportedly returned to his trading post shortly after the Cossacks departed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/cossacks-once-again-patrolling-moscow-streets-chuck-norris-015800000.html

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