Genuine Russian Cossacks Fight For Ukraine Against Putin’s Regime

(Richard Arnold – The Jamestown Foundation) Russia’s war in Ukraine has exposed a divide within the Cossack movement, with many Kremlin-backed Cossacks supporting Moscow while groups of ancestral free Cossacks have joined Ukrainian-aligned forces and advocate anti-imperial liberation movements. Free Cossack fighters from regions such as Don and Kuban have joined anti-Kremlin formations, including the Russian Volunteer Corps, fighting for Cossack freedom, political autonomy, and resistance to Russia’s imperial system. Frontline governments—including Estonia, Sweden, Lithuania, and Ukraine—are increasingly engaging with Russian regional liberation movements, including free Cossacks, reflecting growing international interest in post-Russia scenarios and fears within the Kremlin of future territorial fragmentation. – Genuine Russian Cossacks Fight For Ukraine Against Putin’s Regime – Jamestown