Australian authorities have barred Artyom Kozkin, a descendant of Trans-Baikal Cossacks, from using a car number containing the surname of the Russian president, zabmedia.ru reports.
According to the man, he had paid 295 Australian dollars (about $ 212) to get the appropriate number plate. A week later, the authorities notified him of their refusal to complete his order saying that such a plate ‘may be offensive and cause a backlash’.
The Cossack vowed to fight to the end and do his best to have a Putin number plate on his car. He is even ready to file a lawsuit.
In Australia, one can pay and order a registration plate they want.
Nowadays several thousand descendants of the Cossack migrants live in Australia. Their greatgrandparents left Russia after the Civil War of 1917-1923. In 2011, a local Cossack village (stanitsa) was established there. In May 2013, it was transformed into a department of the Russian embassy to Australia.
