Executive Summary:
- Cossacks from the Volga host recently traveled to Moscow to assist in planning the upcoming May 9 Victory Day parade, marking the Volga host’s first participation in the event, as the Kremlin leverages historical symbolism and paramilitary structures to reinforce patriotic mobilization.
- The revival of Cossack organizations is closely tied to the Russian Orthodox Church, with coordinated youth outreach strengthening their role in promoting a state-aligned identity amid the war against Ukraine.
- Cossack networks are expanding internationally, particularly in Europe, where cultural, diaspora, and youth activities serve as instruments of Russian influence. These communities maintain strong ties with Russia and could serve as a foundation for more direct political action in the future.
On March 20, Cossacks from the Volga host traveled to Moscow for the first time in the host’s history to participate in preparations for the upcoming Victory Day parade on Red Square on May 9. This day marks the eighty-first anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War (Великая Отечественная Война, Velikaya Otechestvennaya Voina). The holiday is one of the most sacred days in the Russian national calendar. The planned inclusion of the Cossacks in the event indicates their growing prominence in Russian ceremonial and patriotic events. The Volga Cossacks, being part of “a general formation of [the] country’s best units,” will send 130 Cossacks to the parade with support from the Samara regional government (VsKO, March 20). The Orenburg Cossacks will also participate in the parade and sent 130 Cossacks to practice in the drills. The contingent includes veterans of Russia’s war against Ukraine and students from various universities. In total, participants from four regions set out from Chelyabinsk to take part in preparations for the parade (VsKO, March 20; Kommersant, March 24). While Cossacks from Rostov, Stavropol, and Krasnodar have taken part in the parade before, the inclusion of Cossack paramilitaries from other regions points to the Kremlin’s expansion and revival of inauthentic Cossack societies across the country (see EDM, January 30, May 29, 2025). One benefit for the Kremlin is that tapping into the historical memories and military symbolism associated with Cossacks simplifies the process of militarization (see EDM, November 11, 2024).
These developments support Chief Ataman of the Union of Cossack Warriors of Russia and Abroad (SKVRiZ) Nikolay Diakonov’s 2023 prediction that “the image of the Cossack-defender” would become increasingly present in Russian news. He claimed that “the level of Cossack activity has increased exponentially” over the past 15 years and that “now you will get tired of surfing through news feeds or looking through many, many pages of daily news information related to the Cossacks of the Russian Federation and the activities of foreign communities” (Rossiyskoe Kazachestvo, February 17, 2023). Recent events involving the Cossacks bear out these claims.
The image of the Cossack is strongly associated domestically with the Russian Orthodox Church (see EDM, January 30, 2023). This relationship was reinforced by a recent meeting between the executive secretary of the Synodal Committee for Cooperation with the Cossacks, Priest Timofey Chaikin, and the head of the department for work with Cossack youth of the All-Russian Cossack Society (VsKO), Yaroslav Prokopishirin. The two discussed the development of the pastoral system for youth, as well as how to counter “the spread of destructive religious movements” among Cossack youth (Rossiyskoe Kazachestvo, March 23). At the regional level, the Don Cossacks have debated the involvement of the church in their movement and the creation of a pastoral care system for the Cossacks, including the new Master of Arts program on Cossack studies (Rossiyskoe Kazachestvo, March 20). Comparable meetings took place between the Central and Krasnodar Cossacks and Orthodox clergy on holding joint events and implementing mentoring programs (Rossiyskoe Kazachestvo, March 12, 17). The Cossacks’ role in promoting Russia’s revitalized spirituality has helped drive their rise in visibility, while participation in the war against Ukraine has reinforced their public standing (see EDM, February 3).
Outside Russia, small communities of Cossack émigrés are also adding to this growing visibility and support. Andrey Shestakov, the Ataman of the Finnish “yurt” of Cossacks and the plenipotentiary representative of the Council of European Atamans, claimed, “Cossackdom is developing in practically all of Europe.” He described how Cossacks outside of Russia use museums as focal points of culture and work with youth to ensure a patriotic upbringing for the Fatherland (i.e. Russia) in the countries of residence. Holidays play a large role in showcasing Cossack traditions, highlighting the role culture plays in disguising groups that may support Russian influence efforts (Rossiyskoe Kazachestvo, March 24).
Cossack-linked activities have appeared as far afield as Australia, Germany, and France, including the 2024 visit of French Cossacks to the Russian Embassy in Paris (YouTube/@cosaquesdefrance7654, December 15, 2024). In 2024, Cossacks in Germany held the fifth International Bivouac Encampment Festival near Hannover, where participants spent two days learning to master traditional Cossack skills including use of the nagaika (Cossack whip), maneuvering, combat medicine, and sporting events. The encampment was organized by the Council of Cossacks of Europe and the SKVRiZ (Rossiyskoe Kazachestvo, June 19, 2024). Another Cossack meeting took place at the Russian Embassy in Madrid, where representatives from France, Spain, Germany, Russia, and Finland debated the role of the Cossacks in “important events in Russia’s history” from the seventeenth to the beginning of the twentieth century (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, October 4, 2024).
These Cossack networks function not only as a vector of Russian influence. They could conceivably play an important role in a hypothetical kinetic conflict. Diakonov seems to have been correct in his contention that Cossack movements are growing across Europe and Russia. These Cossacks are poised to play a more visible political role in the near future, including around May 9.
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