Cossacks will police a World Cup host city this month to stop gay fans kissing.
More than 300 of the paramilitary vigilantes- who sometimes see themselves as defenders of traditional Russian values - will patrol Glasgow’s twin city of Rostov on the Don
Their are leaving their trademark whips behind but say they are ready to support real police if trouble breaks out, local media reported.
And that trouble, they suggested, would include entirely legal same-sex physical affection.
Oleg Barannikov, a co-ordinator of Cossack volunteer guards, said: “If two men kiss at the World Cup we will ask the police to pay attention to them, and what happens next is up to the police. For us values above all mean Orthodox Christianity and family. We Cossacks have gone through too much for those values to be just thrown away.”
Cossacks told local journalists in Rostov they would be tolerant of LGBT fans but they could not act against public displays of kissing.
Cossacks in Vladimir Putin’s Russia have sometimes adopted a muscular pro-government stance, especially in southern regions such as Rostov. There have been examples when Cossacks, descendents of militarised settlers on Russian’s southern fringes, have been heavy-handed with anti-government protestors.
Last month Cossacks whipped people taking part in a protest on Moscow’s Pushkin Square. In Rostov, volunteers will patrol near the city’s Rostov Arena venue, at the airport and in fan zones in the city centre.
Rostov will host Brazil, Uruguay, Korea, Mexico, Iceland, Croatia, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia during the World Cup’s first round. It will then host one knock-out game.
England fans have already been warned about Cossacks with whips. The country’s Football Supporters Federation this weekend issued guidance to those travelling to Russia.
It said: “Whilst often you are able to behave as you would in the UK, certain things must be treated with caution in societies less tolerant than back home.
“There is no reason not to come to the World Cup if you are LGBT. It is strongly advised that you do not publicly display your sexuality.”
Homosexuality is legal in Russia but laws prevent its promotion.
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