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Russian Cossacks are hybrid terrorist organisation - research findings

Author: Maksym Butchenko

сепаратисти

The frequent participation of the Russian Cossacks in military operations is explained by the close integration of the Cossacks into the Russian power vertical.

This is stated in the study "Paramilitary formations of the Russian Federation. Cossack Organisations", conducted by the "Eastern Human Rights Group" and the "Institute for Strategic Studies and Security". The first steps of the Russian state to organise Cossack structures began in the 1900s and were largely completed in the mid-2000s with the adoption of the law "On the Civil Service of the Russian Cossacks". An important point is the so-called register, established by a presidential decree of Boris Yeltsin in 1995, which is a system of accounting for Cossack societies whose members have undertaken to perform civil service without the right to form armed groups.

Pavlo Lysianskyi, director of the Ukrainian "Institute for Strategic Studies and Security", explains that Cossacks subordinated to the Russian state are called "registered", while those who are disobedient are called "non-register". The latter have been subjected to constant repressive actions, so the Cossacks outside the register are very weak, the expert points out.

Today, all Cossacks in Russia are part of 14 macro-regional structures - "military Cossack societies" ("troops") united in the All-Russian Cossack Society. At the same time, since the early 2010s, Cossack patrols have been protecting "public order" on the streets of some Russian cities. The state, in its turn, supports Cossack organisations financially, and promotes the opening of Cossack cadet schools and other institutions.

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Cadets of the Luhansk Cossack Cadet Corps named after Air Marshal Oleksandr Yefimov

The registered Cossacks were provided with all kinds of funding from the state. In 2002, the Krasnodar Krai Legislative Assembly approved a regional target programme "Participation of the Cossacks in the protection of public order and measures to stop illegal migration in the Krasnodar Krai". According to this programme, 2 million roubles were allocated from the regional budget for "public order protection" in 2002 and 2.5 million roubles in 2003.

This allowed the Kuban Cossack Army (KCA) to create seven specialised "Cossack squads for the protection of public order, totalling 150 people". A new regional programme for 2008-2010 increased the number of Cossack units to 1,505. By 2011, the number of units had increased to 1,630.

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In January 2023, a single combat coordination centre, "Kuban", was established to train Russian Cossacks.

Thus, since the 2000s, the Cossacks have been receiving funding and thus developing their activities. According to the state programme "Cossacks of the Kuban", more than RUB 963 million was allocated for 2017.

The Cossacks were allied with the Russian authorities. N.A. Doluda has been the ataman of the KCA since 2007, who was for a long time (from 2007 to 2016) the vice-governor of the region and the head of the Council of Atamans of the Registered Troops of Russia. At the same time, the Cossacks were perceived by the authorities as a resource,therefore, it actively sponsored Cossack organisations and their numbers grew accordingly.

Thus, as of March 2018, there were more than 52 thousand individual members in KCA, their number having increased by 4 thousand since the beginning of 2017. Although the official number of Cossacks of any of the Russian military Cossacks should be published in the State Register of Cossack Societies of the Russian Federation (presidential decree of 9.08.1995 No. 835 "On the State Register of Cossack Societies in the Russian Federation"). Since 2013, for "unclear reasons", access to the Cossack register on official websites has been closed. According to the Register, in 2004, a total of 153868 people were registered in Cossack societies. However, according to the All-Russian Cossack Society, there are 170,000 registered Cossacks in Russia.

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As of early spring 2014, up to 10 Cossack units were involved in the military intervention

Lysianskyi says that modern Russian Cossacks are a mixture of different ideological currents. This applies to their ideology, which mixes "Soviet" (primarily the cult of the so-called "Great Patriotic War" and victory in it), "Orthodox" (close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church) and "nationalist" (extreme right-wing, traditionalist and anti-liberal) elements. But this also applies to the organisational level: Cossack organisations are at the same time semi-state structures, grassroots movements of enthusiasts, security forces of the ROC, and even security forces of individual sponsors, for example, there is a connection between Cossack organisations and the "Orthodox oligarch" Konstantin Malofeev.

The study provides specific examples of people who combined military activity and the Orthodox faith. For example, the story of 55-year-old Vladislav Nutretsov, "ataman of the farm Cossack society of the Southern and Western districts of Anapa". He worked in the mining industry, managing a site at "Rostovugol". He is a father of many children, having raised a son and three daughters. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he fought against Ukraine in Donetsk region. On 17 May 2022, during the so-called "meat assault" on an Armed Forces stronghold near Volnovakha, he was killed by mortar fire along with a group of Cossacks.

Or Vasyl Shlomovich was a Cossack of the "Stanytsia Terska" Cossack Association of the "Crimean Cossack District". He was born on 28 May 1984 in the city of Tutayev, Yaroslavl region.

The family moved to Crimea. He took part in the capture of Crimea by Russian troops, for which he was awarded two medals: "For the Defence of Crimea" and "For the Return of Crimea". In 2015, he joined the Cossacks. He worked as a construction worker, then became a monk, Deacon Veniamin in the Feodosia Kiziltash Monastery.

Nevertheless, despite his monasticism, Shlomovich went to fight in mainland Ukraine with a group of Cossacks in late February. He was killed by a minefield accident.

"The modern Russian Cossacks are a mixture of a militarised military association and a religious (Orthodox) doctrine. The combination of aggressive militarisation and radical Orthodoxy gives grounds to call the modern Russian Cossack movement an analogue of the 'Orthodox Caliphate'," Lysianskyi believes.

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VI International Scientific and Practical Conference "Cossacks and Europe"

State hybrid army

The entire Russian Cossacks are controlled through the Council on Cossack Affairs of Russia, which is designed to ensure control over the activities of Cossack organisations in the country. It was through the Council that tasks were given to use Cossack units in border conflicts. Obviously, for this purpose, the Council includes the heads of the General Staff of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the FSB.

According to Vera Yastrebova, director of the "Eastern Human Rights Group", the participation of Cossacks in the socio-political life of Russia and in military conflicts is quite frequent, which is explained by the close integration of the Cossacks into state structures.

The first target for the Kremlin to use the militarised part of the Cossacks was Moldova. On 23 June 1990, the Supreme Soviet of Moldova adopted a Declaration of Sovereignty. The Moldovan national movement was led by a former member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mircea Snegur, and he was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet. In the autumn of 1990, pro-Russian provocateurs clashed with Moldovan police units near the city of Dubasari. The pro-Russian provocateurs occupied a number of buildings of the Dubasari district council, court and prosecutor's office for several hours. Faced with resistance, the police used firearms, killing three people - the first to be killed in the Transnistrian conflict.

Using the terms of the so-called "Romanisation", the Kremlin launched an operation to seize the Transnistrian region. For this purpose, Cossack units were urgently transferred from the territory of the Russian Federation to Moldova. Thus, on 14 March 1991, a local "Union of Cossacks" was registered in Dubasari. In June 1991, at the initiative of the "Union of the Dniester Cossacks", a rally was held with the participation of 5,000 people. The ataman of this organisation, P. Sazonov, spoke at the meeting, who gathered to "honour the memory of those killed on 2 November 1990", "condemned the activities of the police, demanded the creation of a municipal police force, recognition of the PMSSR, and expressed no confidence in the district committee of the Communist Party of Moldova".

In other words, the Kremlin was practising the technology of creating a "republic" under its control. According to one of the members of such a Cossack formation from St. Petersburg (Valery Yasnytsky), they (Russian Cossacks) had a rather vague idea of what was happening in the region. All their awareness was limited to rumours about some kind of "arbitrariness" taking place in Moldova. In other words, the Kremlin inspired the conflict in Transnistria, and its participants, the Russian Cossacks, could not even understand what was happening there, but obediently went to "restore order". The vast majority of Cossacks from St. Petersburg were members of the city's Cossack organisation "Nevskaya Stanitsa".

Yastrebova emphasises that it should be noted that Russian Cossacks played a major role in the pro-Russian movement in Transnistria, being a direct military force sent from Moscow. For example, Russian Cossacks were in combat positions in the area of Dubasari and Bender when these settlements were being retaken from Moldova.

Other military conflicts were similar. The next war for the Cossacks was the war in South Ossetia, where pro-Russian forces fought against Georgia. The first Cossacks arrived there in 1992. Most of them were Kuban, Terek and Don Cossacks; there were also Siberian Cossacks.

The Russian authorities also sent Cossacks to other military conflicts. Then there was the Georgian-Abkhazian war (1992-1993), which involved about 3-5 thousand Cossacks from all over Russia, mainly from the Kuban. The losses in this war among the Cossacks were very significant - about 500 of them were killed. Many Cossacks from the so-called "Kuban Cossack Council" participated.

The war in Donbas

Russia has tried to influence internal Ukrainian political and social aspects through Cossack organisations. For example, the Cossack Union "Don Army Region" was registered in 2009 in Donetsk. After the outbreak of hostilities in Donbas, the organisation re-registered in the "DPR", and its representatives fought on the side of the militants.

Witnesses to those events say that Cossacks in the Luhansk region became more active during the Euromaidan period. At the end of 2013, a number of pro-Russian "Cossack organisations" organised patrols in Luhansk and took the regional administration under their "protection". In February 2014, pro-Russian Cossacks appealed to Russian President Putin to provide Ukrainians with military assistance if the situation in the country deteriorated.

Since the beginning of 2014, each of Russia's 11 military Cossack societies has been recruiting volunteers for combat operations in Ukraine. The largest total number of militants (about 15 thousand people) was sent from the Great Don Army (GDA) based in Rostov-on-Don. One of the main participants in the military invasion of Ukraine was the so-called "ataman" Mykola Kozitsyn, who headed the Union of Cossacks of the Don Army Region (UC DAR).

It is important to note that the decision to allow Russian Cossacks to enter the territory of Ukraine was made at the end of February 2014 in the Russian city of Novocherkassk at a council of atamans of the "Great Don Army" headed by Nikolay Kozitsyn (his association was speaking). The connection between the Cossacks and the Russian state was clearly evident. For example, at that time, the All-Russian Cossack Society "Great Don Army" was supervised by the former deputy governor of the Rostov region, V. Goncharov, who was the head of the official community of Don Cossacks.

Kozitsyn relied on the forces of the Don Cossacks and had a goal that was probably coordinated with the Kremlin, but Kozitsyn was not going to recognise the supremacy of the so-called "head of the LPR" Valery Bolotov. For example, Kozitsyn arrived in the south of the Luhansk region in April 2014 and, relying on the extensive structure of local Cossack organisations, as well as a group of his associates from Russia, firmly established himself in the key cities of the region: Rovenky, Antratsyt and Krasnyi Luch. Kozitsyn created the so-called "Cossack Guard", thereby announcing mobilisation on a "voluntary basis to protect civilians in the south-east of Ukraine".

Similarly, tensions between Kozitsyn and the leadership of the self-proclaimed "LPR", headed by the current "head of the LPR", Ihor Plotnytskyi, have also increased dramatically. Disagreements that had previously been more of a political nature have escalated into open conflict.

According to Lysianskyi, the reason for the escalation was, according to sources, differences in views on the strategy of warfare, the allocation of resources and control over territories. This confrontation culminated in armed clashes between Cossack units from Antratsyt, loyal to Kozitsyn and subordinate to Plotnytsky, and members of the so-called "LPR commandant's office".

These battles demonstrated the growing internal contradictions within the pro-Russian military movement. Amidst the growing chaos and power struggle, Kozitsyn's position proved to be extremely fragile. As a result, on 20 November 2014, Kozitsyn was forced to leave the territory of Donbas and return to Russia.

However, the Cossacks have fully integrated into the occupation administrations and have become part of the occupation actions. For example, in 2018, the "head of the LPR" Leonid Pasichnyk, at a meeting with representatives of the "Council of Atamans" in Luhansk, supported their proposal to create Cossack units. The Luhansk "Council of Atamans" also included various local organisations, such as the "Luhansk Cossack District" of the Great Don Army, the Antratsyt Cossack Yurt, the "Motorised Cossack Regiment named after Platov of the LPR People's Militia" and others.

As noted in the study, the situation in the "DPR" is somewhat different, as the "head of the DPR" Denis Pushilin does not want to share influence with the Cossacks and is still opposed to the creation of a full-fledged representation of the Great Don Army, limiting them to a "separate district community" of Cossacks.

Full-scale war

Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there were 11 military Cossack societies in the Russian Federation that were part of the "All-Russian Cossack Society", and in September 2022, by a decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the number of military Cossack societies that were part of the "All-Russian Cossack Society" increased to 14 societies.

In January 2023, the Russian Federation established a single centre for combat coordination -
"Kuban" - to train Cossacks, "on the basis of which 150 people go on rotation every month in three volunteer detachments formed from the Cossacks of the Kuban Military Cossack Society" (VsKo). Branches of the centre were opened in the Samara region and the Republic of Adygea.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 7 out of 14 Cossack societies that are members of VsKo have been most active in forming volunteer units to participate in the "special military operation":

- Volga Military Cossack Society - Ataman Davityan Konstantin Alexandrovich;

- the military Cossack society Great Don Army - Ataman Bodryakov Sergey Nikolayevich;

- Military Cossack society "Black Sea Cossack Army" - Ataman Sirotkin Anton Viktorovich

- Trans-Baikal Military Cossack Society - Ataman Bobrov Sergey Grigorievich;

- Kuban Military Cossack Society - Ataman Vlasov Alexander Ivanovich;

- Orenburg Military Cossack Society - Ataman Romanov Vladimir Ivanovich;

- Terskoye Military Cossack Society - Ataman Kuznetsov Vitaliy Vladimirovich.

Moreover, in mid-2022, five volunteer Cossack battalions were formed to conduct combat operations after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which formed the backbone for the further formation of Cossack detachments and brigades involved in the armed aggression against Ukraine. The first Cossack battalions were created by the Union of Cossack Warriors of Russia and Abroad, the Kuban and Orenburg Military Cossack Societies, and the "Black Sea Cossack Army" Military Cossack Society - the "Don" (BARS-21), "named after Ataman Zakhariy Chepega" (BARS-1), "Kuban" (BARS-11), "Ermak" (BARS-15) and "Tavrida" battalions, respectively.

At the second stage, starting in June 2022, the Kuban, Tersk and Ussuri military Cossack societies and the "Great Don Army" military Cossack society began the process of forming volunteer Cossack battalions to take part in the "special military operation", creating the 2nd "Kuban" battalion (BARS-16), "Terek" battalion (BARS-24), "Tigr" battalion (BARS-22) and "Rostov" battalion (BARS-18).

At the same time, a number of special units were created with the help of Russian regions. For example, the 2nd Volunteer Cossack Assault Detachment "Tavrida" was created on 18 March 2022 in accordance with the order of the Ataman of the Black Sea Cossack Army, Cossack Colonel Anton Sirotkin. From 24 March to 24 September 2022, the Cossacks of "Tavrida" fought in the Zaporizhzhia direction. The battalion consisted of 80% Cossacks of the Black Sea Cossack Army. The unit also included Cossacks of the Tersk Cossack Army and the Great Don Army. As well as members of illegal armed groups in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, who called themselves the Zaporizhzhia Cossacks.

On 7 August 2023, a decision was made to form a new Cossack battalion "Tavrida" as part of the 116th separate special purpose brigade of the Federal Service of the National Guard (Rosgvardia) of the Russian Federation.

On 20 June 2022, recruitment was announced for the 2nd Battalion of the "Don" Volunteer Detachment, which included 200 Cossacks of the Great Don Army (the first battalion was formed by the Union of Cossack Warriors of Russia and Abroad). The battalion was recruited according to the old Cossack military traditions. Other Cossack units were also created.

As of October 2024, the Volunteer Assault Cossack Corps (VAC) operates in the occupied territories, consisting of five brigades whose names reflect the Cossack's affiliation with territorial military Cossack societies: "Don", "Siberia", "Dnipro", "Volga", "Terek", as well as Cossack battalions created within the framework of the BARS - "Ermak", "Forstadt", "Kuban", "Rostov", "Tigr" units.

Currently, 24 volunteer Cossack battalions, comprising 18,500 so-called Cossack volunteers, are taking part in the war against Ukraine. In total, since the beginning of February 2022, 42,000 so-called Cossack volunteers have taken part in the armed aggression against Ukraine.

Criminal organisation

Lysianskyi explains that the Russians are trying to gain a foothold in the occupied areas.

Since the occupation of parts of Luhansk and other regions of Ukraine in 2014, Russia has consistently introduced militarised elements into the education system in these territories through the creation of cadet corps and classes with a "Cossack component". This strategy included educating young people on the basis of Russian military and patriotic standards and preparing them for service in the army or other state structures of the Russian Federation.

Using the example of the Luhansk region, in 2023, as part of cooperation between the occupation administrations and representatives of the Russian Federation, it was decided to expand the network of Cossack cadet corps and classes, create methodological centres, and provide institutions with modern literature and educational equipment.

"This reflects Russia's intention to tighten control over education in the occupied territories, aiming to foster loyalty to the Russian state and its military institutions," Yastrebova said.

The system of cadet corps, which is being developed with the support of the Russian political party "United Russia", is designed to prepare young people for military service and integration into Russian society.

It is proved that the ideological components of the modern Russian Cossacks are formed on the religious basis of the Orthodox faith, identity with the Soviet past, nationalism and anti-Western sentiments. This makes it an ideologically heterogeneous movement that demonstrates a general tendency to mix historical traditions and modern political influences.

Lysianskyi explains that ideological mixing creates a special cultural and political phenomenon that forms the basis for the active participation of Cossack organisations in social and political life and support for state propaganda.

That is why the Cossacks actively cooperate with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), acting as a religious and ideological tool. This cooperation allows the use of religious arguments to justify state actions both in the country and abroad.

Cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church also contributes to the formation of radical right-wing views based on the ideas of traditionalism and the preservation of Russian "spiritual forces".

"russia used the Cossacks as a tool in its hybrid war against Ukraine. Their actions are not spontaneous, but were regulated by the Russian Ministry of Defence, which gave them tasks at the front. This demonstrates the close connection between Cossack organisations and the Russian military apparatus. And it is surprising that Russian Cossacks are still well received in Europe, for example, recently they freely gathered in Paris for a public event. Therefore, the Russian Cossack movement should be recognised as a terrorist organisation, because the civilised world must react to the arbitrariness of the Kremlin-controlled Cossacks," Lysianskyi believes.

Maksym Butchenko

Photo: https://realgazeta.com.ua/