"Cossacks" is a culture originating from the steppes of Eastern Europe, they are a group of nomadic Slavs, mainly cavalry, advocating freedom, brave and good at war, once for Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union made great achievements, known as "the world's first cavalry".
In modern times, the Cossacks remain an important armed force of the Russian Federation, having played a key role in the second Chechen war, becoming Putin's last card and terrifying the Chechen separatists.
So, what is the story of the Cossacks with Russia and Putin? Let's talk about it today.
Origin and development of the Cossacks
The word Cossack is a Turkic word meaning "courageous seeker of freedom" and dates back to the 13th century, when a group of Slavs living in the Kipchak Khanate fled to southern Russia to escape the Mongol Empire.
It was only about 200 years later, in the 15th and 16th centuries, that the Cossack community was formed. At that time, a large number of poor middle peasants fled to the southern regions of Russia to escape the oppression and enslavement of the tsar.
This group of fleeing peasants, who were numerous and able to endure hardship, chose to establish their dwellings near the river, so that large and small communities were formed, which were the first prototypes of the Cossack tribal power.
According to relevant historical records, the Cossack sphere of influence was divided by rivers, mainly the Don River, the Dnieper River, the Volga River and other three major rivers, so the Cossack community was also named after it, such as the Don Cossacks, Dnieper Cossacks, Volga Cossacks, etc.
The way of life of the Cossack inhabitants was mainly fishing, hunting and a small amount of farming, and they also built simple houses by the river where they lived, and even divided their own areas for cultivation and fishing, in order to live a stable life.
In a way, the Cossacks were similar to the early Huns, they were from humble backgrounds but not afraid of hardship, and with their tall, strong and agile builds, they were all good military seedlings.
They soon became a force to be reckoned with in southern Russia, living on the weather, fishing and hunting, and had to find a new way to survive in the face of sudden natural disasters and climate change.
At that time, the Tsars of Russia continued to expand eastward, and various animal and mineral resources attracted a large number of merchants, and the Cossacks organized the community of people to rob these merchants or people of one of the races living nearby.
Although Tsarist Russia was very strong, most of its energy was focused on the European theater and eastward expansion, and there was no time to take care of this small Cossack cavalry, so it can be said that in southern Russia they were a pack of wolves with no natural enemies.
As mentioned above, the Cossacks were a nomadic community living in the steppes of Eastern Europe, known for their courage and skill in horsemanship.
Why did it become the most unique historical and cultural force within the Russian and Ukrainian nations, and even the main force that supported the expansion of the Russian Empire to the east and south in the 17th century?
Cossacks with Russia
After all, the loose community was unreliable, as the so-called shade under the big tree, in order to gain more benefits and wealth, the Cossacks chose to surrender to Poland at that time. It's just that this kind of surrender is not sincere, it's just a way of "fox fake tiger might".
The Polish king tried to take the Cossacks for his own use many times, but this group of people did not listen to the tune, meaning that what you say is what, but whether you listen to me or not has relative autonomy.
This created a more sensitive situation, in which the Cossacks were nominally the Polish army, responsible for defending the Polish borders, but in fact they were not under the jurisdiction of the Polish royal family, much to the dismay of the Polish king.
The Cossacks were a pack of wild wolves, and if such people were left alone, they would inevitably cause harm, so a war broke out between Poland and the Cossacks, and as a result, 8,000 Cossack soldiers fought all the way to Ukraine and occupied the city of Kyiv.
As the saying goes, "it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years", although the Poles could not defeat the Cossacks, they won because of their vast territory and strong comprehensive strength, while the Cossack regime was relatively weak and could be eliminated in a war as long as the time came.
Decades later, Poland finally waited for an opportunity to take advantage of the internal instability of the Cossacks to launch an offensive and attack the Ukrainian city of Kyiv in one fell swoop. The Cossacks were very unwilling, but they could not do anything, and in the end they could only ask for help from the powerful Tsarist Russia.
The tsar saw the Cossacks as a valuable military force that could help him consolidate his control over Ukraine, while also working against hostile states such as Poland and Sweden.
In the end, it was decided to establish an alliance with the Cossack chief Khmelnitsky, providing him with military and economic assistance, while recognizing autonomy and territory.
Of course, this help was not without revenge, provided that Ukraine was included in Tsarist Russia and the Cossacks obeyed their leadership.
In 1654, Khmelnitsky signed a treaty with Tsar Alexei I in Pereyaslav, and the Cossack regime was officially brought under Russian protection.
This treaty is considered an important turning point in the history of Russia and Ukraine, marking the liberation of the Cossacks from Polish influence, but also meant that they gradually lost their independence and democratic traditions, becoming vassals and instruments of Russia.
In the following centuries, the fate of the Cossacks was closely linked to the rise and fall of Russia, and they both contributed greatly to Russia's expansion and development, and paid a heavy price for Russian autocracy and oppression.
Putin's appearance changed the situation of the Cossacks
The reason why the Tsar formed an alliance with the Cossacks was not simple, or rather just to treat them as big thugs, and then all men over the age of 19 in the Cossack community were required to serve in the military and become the executioners in the hands of the Tsar.
For the mainland, the most familiar war for the Cossacks is the Yaksa, this group of people can endure extreme cold in the ice and snow, and the methods are also very vicious.
Within Tsarist Russia, the Cossacks were also the Tsar's weapon of suppression of the civilian population, and in general, in Europe, in Asia, and even in Russia, the Cossacks were notorious, and wherever they passed were accompanied by war and death.
Do you think that the Cossacks will be able to be reused if they work so hard for the Tsar? The answer is no, the Cossacks sacrificed countless young people in the end in exchange for poverty and weakness, and their status is inferior to that of ordinary Russian civilians.
It has to be said that the Cossacks were hard-working by nature, and even then they were willing to become the thugs of the tsar, so that the whole of Europe was terrified, and even Chechnya was beaten into submission by them.
In the first Chechen war, although the Russians were numerous, they had to choose reconciliation in the end, of course, only reconciliation, and they did not want to regain control of Chechnya at any time.
After coming to power, Putin launched a second war against Chechnya in 1999, taking tough measures to order the bombing of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, and sending Russian troops into Chechnya on October 1, which was widely supported by the Russian public and media.
Of course, the most noteworthy thing is the performance of the Cossacks, who in the past acted as the forerunners of the tsar, afraid of death but not afraid of life and death.
In the second Chechen war, Putin changed the rigid style of the Russian army of "the artillery bombed the infantry and rushed" and made full use of the advantages of the airborne troops, special forces, and Cossack cavalry to launch surprise attacks on the enemy again and again to destroy the enemy's vital forces, and disrupt its command system to capture thieves and capture the king, effectively disintegrating the fighting spirit of the Chechen bandits.
The Cossack cavalry showed unparalleled courage and loyalty in the war, showing superb horsemanship and shooting skills on the battlefield, as well as a keen insight into the terrain and the enemy's situation, often launching surprise attacks when the enemy was unprepared, inflicting heavy blows on the enemy Chechen rebels.
They also played the role of reconnaissance, liaison, rescue and peacekeeping in the war, providing valuable intelligence and support to the Russian army. The cooperation between Putin and the Cossack cavalry finally led to a decisive victory for Russia in the Second Chechen War and the restoration of control over Chechnya.
In this war, the Cossack cavalry was ruthless with the captured Chechens, crucifying them even after death, which terrified the whole of Chechnya.
In 2005, Putin decided to create a special army based on the Cossacks, with a full number of 500,000 people.
It is reported that in the Russian-Ukrainian war, a Cossack scout single-handedly blew up 23 tanks and hundreds of soldiers in Chechnya.
It is no exaggeration to say that Cossacks are born to be soldiers, especially Cossacks living in Russia, and now the Cossack army is one of Putin's trump cards.
What do you think differently about this?