Security at 2014 Sochi Olympics has traditional look

The 2012 London Olympics had the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace, resplendent in their red coats and tall bearskin hats.

Now the 2014 Sochi Olympics will have the Cossacks.

More than 400 of the soldiers reported to Sochi on Thursday to help with security. As part of foot patrols, they will don traditional tunics, fur hats and swords.

“They’ve already arrived at the resort and will take part in maintaining security all the way to the end of the Paralympic Games,” a spokesman for the Kuban Cossack Brigade told R-Sport.

During their long history, the troops have been symbols of both inspiration and repression. They now become part of a heightened military presence in Sochi.

Security has been of particular concern at these Games, with fears bolstered by the recent terrorist bombings in nearby Volgograd.

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