Denis N. Kotelnikov, ataman (chieftain) of the Magnitogorsk Cossack Community. Cossacks are a subethnic group of Russians or Ukrainians known for their independent and sometimes rebellious character although the tsars always used them as border guards against Turkic and other invaders. They had their own administrative regions (the Hosts) during tsarist times and were severely persecuted under Soviets. Once part of the Orenburg Cossack Host, this part of Chelyabinsk Region now sees the Cossacks' attempts to revive their traditional values and paramilitary lifestyle through various government and non-government activities including charity, children education, small and medium business, policing, etc. Before the city of Magnitogorsk was founded in 1929, a Cossack village - Stanitsa Magnitnaya - existed here for almost 200 years.
MAGNITKA

Magnitogorsk – a Russian mill town of 420,000 people in the Urals also known by its short and affectionate name Magnitka – has come a long way from a Communist myth to one of the most polluted places on Earth. Founded in 1929 at the behest of Stalin, the Magnitogorsk steel mill and the town itself were originally to be modeled after US steel cities Gary and Pittsburgh. In a haste to start producing steel, people and environment were often neglected. However, Magnitka has become the showpiece and pride of Soviet industrialisation and one of the largest steel mills in the world. It has also played a significant role in supplying the Red Army with steel and armour during WWII. Today, the mill found itself in the hands of a tiny group of owners who also tightly control the city politically and economically through a combination of direct intimidation and pseudo-patriotic propaganda. Thousands of whole families, just as it has always been the case here, work for the mill as it is extremely difficult to find work outside of it or run an independent business. Although efforts did take place in the last few years to improve the mill’s environmental record, the city is still subjected to harmful effects of pollution and disease. Poor safety causes accidents which are skillfully concealed while air pollutants such as heavy metals, sulfur dioxide and lead made almost the entire population a hostage of the mill. According to local statistics, only 1% of children here are healthy. Just a few months ago, the company boasted its billions-worth of investment and improvement programmes but the global economic downturn and a dramatic decrease in demand for steel put these plans into serious jeopardy. Magnitka is a bright example of Russia's non-diversified economy and overdependence on commodity prices: when they are high, everything goes well, when they suddenly drop, economy in such single-mill towns as Magnitka begins to crumble leaving thousands without work and any prospects. But fear of reprisals or layoffs prevents most workers from standing up for their rights or even openly discussing their situation. -- 2008