Atamans of the Kuban Cossacks. Ex ataman of the KKV about modern Cossacks
Unlike Alexei Beskrovny, the ataman Grigory Rasp was not distinguished by either special physical strength or outstanding military abilities. But he had the talent of an organizer. Having received, orientated, in 1833, the mace of the ataman, this Black Sea Cossack skeptically examined all the previous years of the endless confrontation between the Ukrainian Cossacks and the Gorka and exclaimed: “Brother this, how much can you do?! What kind of life is this: so that like this "Week-eternal feud?!" No, and under him, clashes continued for some time between the Circassians and the Cossack border outposts, and under him, separate groups of hijrit horsemen broke through Cossack barriers everywhere and launched attacks on the Kuban villages. But, instead of immediately gathering the Cossacks and setting off on a “campaign of revenge, as his predecessors did, Gregory rasp, on the contrary, looked for an opportunity to explain himself to the Circassian elders, established relationships with the Circassian princes, influential mules, and field leaders-commanders.
Of course, he also had to repel attacks of the Circassians several times with Cossack detachments, and he acted decisively in these cases. And in 1849, Ataman Nashpil had the opportunity to send the newly formed Combined Line Regiment of Cossacks to the “Hungarian Campaign” of the Russian army. However, the soul of this educated , the gifted Cossack was still drawn not so much to weapons, but to the plow and books. He, in fact, was the first chieftain, one day, after another attack by the mountaineers, he called not for revenge on them, but for... holding a general fair. Having received an invitation to one of these traditional fairs in Yekaterinodar, the mountaineers at first did not believe in the sincerity of the Cossacks, they decided that the Black Sea people were preparing a trap. But soon the brave souls spread the news to the surrounding villages that they were received well and the Cossacks were willing to buy their jugs, daggers, jewelry, etc. products... And over time, dozens of highlanders began to appear at fairs in different villages, who gradually became convinced that trading was still better than fighting.
The customs, traditions of the Circassians, the laws of the mountains, according to which they lived here from generation to generation maintaining order in their community, all this could not but interest the ataman with a rasp. In addition, he understood: in order to establish friendly relations with the mountaineers, one must know their psychology, customs, traditions, language, religion, and worldview. And so that not only he, but also other elders could know all this, the ataman compiled the “Collection of Adats,” that is, the unwritten laws of the Circassians, the foundations of which were laid hundreds of years ago. And what was the surprise of many Circassians who subsequently had to deal with the commander of the Cossack army when they discovered that he knew the position of “adat” and interpreted them better than some of the wise elders and priests. And it made an impression! And it soon turned out that when some misunderstandings arose between two clans, auls or mountain tribes, their representatives turned to the Cossack ataman for advice and discretion with a rasp.
Meanwhile, many problems have accumulated in the relations between individual villages and barns of the Black Sea Cossacks. And the problem of land distribution was especially acute. It’s an amazing thing: until recently, the Cossacks thought that the lands in the Kuban were untrodden, immeasurable: cultivate as much as you want. But already in the twenties of the 19th century it became clear that it was not enough. No, of course, there was enough of it for now, but more and more elders are appearing, striving to become large landowners, turning their farmsteads into landowners’ estates and, using power and influence, brazenly seizing public stanitsa lands. So, Gregory rasp ordered the elder to carry out a kind of register of lands subordinate to each kuren, each village, and clearly determine who is entitled to what land and how much, and also to determine the boundaries of public lands and assign it to one or another community. That is, the ataman laid the legal basis so that in the future it would be possible to solve any problems related to the division of public land. And for this the Black Sea people were very grateful to their ataman. But it was precisely these measures of his that caused a wave of discontent among a certain part of the elders, who began to weave intrigues and send complaints and denunciations to the Russian command demanding the removal of Gregory Rasp from his post as a punishment. However, this did not stop the chieftain.
Service in Cossack units had its own characteristics. In addition, the chieftain understood that in order to have his own officer cadres, he should now take care of creating the appropriate military schools. Therefore, it was on his initiative that the first Black Sea Cossack military gymnasium was opened in Yekaterinodar, where capable sons of poor Cossacks studied at the expense of the military office.
Grigory rasp was actively involved in the military-administrative reform of the Black Sea region. Under his leadership, a commission worked that created a new “Regulation on the Black Sea Cossack Army,” which was approved in the early summer of 1842 by the elders’ council, and on July 1 by the Military Collegium of Russia. According to this provision, the entire territory of the Black Sea region was divided into 3 districts: Tamansky, Ekaterinodar and Yeisk, headed by district colonels, which immediately made it possible to establish better military administrative management. It was also provided that each district would field four cavalry regiments, three infantry battalions and one battery for service. That is, the Black Sea Cossacks had to constantly keep 12 regiments, nine separate battalions and three batteries “under arms”, which acted as a regular army. Of course, in the event of war, additional mobilization of reserve Cossacks was announced in the Black Sea region. In addition, all three districts jointly formed the Life Guards Black Sea Cossack Division, which served mainly in St. Petersburg, and a garrison artillery company that defended Yekaterinodar.
By the way, this reform made it possible to streamline the relationship between the office of the ataman and the Russian military command, which, regardless of the losses of the Cossacks and their capabilities, demanded that more and more military units be deployed to fight the mountaineers, which should be armed and maintained at public expense. Now the Black Sea people knew well what forces they should field, and this somewhat limited the appetites of the Russian command.
By the way, even according to the new “Regulations”, land in the Black Sea region still continued to remain collective, public property. Those plots that the Cossacks received did not become their private property, but remained public property, and therefore could not be inherited or sold. What were the sizes of these plots? Cossack generals were supposed to have 1,500 tithes, senior officers - 400 tithes, junior officers - 200, and, finally, an ordinary Cossack received 30 tithes. Interestingly, if a boy was born into a family, he immediately received his contribution from the public land. If a girl was born, there was no provision for her: they say, she will get married, then she will manage. And only in 1862 a law appeared, according to which part of the land became private property, and Cossack officers became the first owners.
Put Grigory rasp as an ataman and faced another passionate social problem: more and more refugees began to appear in the Black Sea region, especially from Ukraine. According to tradition, fugitives were not subject to extradition, that is, return to their native lands, to the landowners' estates, but it was also very difficult to legitimize their stay in the Kuban. These people, as a rule, did not have any documents, and most importantly, there was no legal basis that would allow them to be classified as Cossacks, and so, after G.’s repeated appeals to the Russian command and to St. Petersburg, such a Decree of the Governing Senate was finally issued " appeared. It was dated May 30, 1847.
“It is ordered that tramps of both sexes be enlisted in the army,” its contents are succinctly listed in the “Reference Book of the Imperial Headquarters.”
How pressing this problem turned out to be is evidenced by the fact that by the end of 1850, that is, in just over three years, on the basis of this Decree, almost 15,000 men and women were assigned to the Black Sea Cossack Army who were previously considered “vagrants”. This measure was extremely important. Firstly, he significantly improved the social situation in the region, because after enrollment, these tramps acquired all the rights of the Cossacks, including, they received land plots and permission to build housing and run their own household. This also made it possible to increase the number of Cossack warriors, whose army constantly experienced losses during campaigns and clashes with the highlanders.
Recognition of the services of the Ukrainian Cossacks to the Russian Empire was the presentation of the St. George flag to the Black Sea Cossack army on October 10, 1843 “in consideration of the useful service of the Black Sea men and their bravery *, as this was explained by “royal favor.” Flags were presented, although not St. George’s, but ordinary ones, and individual regiments and battalions *
As a subtle connoisseur of Zaporozhye antiquity, the rasp had great sympathy for those few Cossack-characterists who continued the traditions of Zaporozhye characterization in the Black Sea region. Consequently, the ataman in every possible way supported the development of one of the varieties of characterization in the Kuban - the movement of plastuns. It was under Ataman G. rasps that the societies of Cossack plastuns were fully formed, who were skilled scouts, healers, and, as we would now say, psychics.
The Plastuns had their own chieftains, and they selected members of the community themselves - from guys who, by their psychological, physical properties and character traits, were the best suited to master the Plastun secrets that began to be passed down from generation to generation. As a rule, each plastun knew how to camouflage himself on the ground quite perfectly, knew several Caucasian languages and dialects, masterfully mastered all types of weapons, shot accurately and hit the enemy, throwing daggers from afar; played with hand-to-hand combat techniques, imitated the voices of various birds and animals, and helped the plates to “talk” in the language of signals at a considerable distance, without arousing any suspicion among the mountaineers. And the famous ones among the Plastuns - such as Efim Zhornik, Foma Kovalenko, Makar Shulga - were considered sorcerers who knew how to order wounds or illnesses, and possessed the gift of suggestion, that is, hypnosis; were wonderful healers. It was about them and their brothers Mandruik, Vasily Dzyuba, Optovoy that legends were made up, all sorts of rumors and stories were spread.
Still awaiting an in-depth study is the training system of the Cossack-characterniks, in whose state the scouts-plastuns were only one of the links. Unfortunately, in these sources that have come down to us, and, in particular, in the historical studies of the first Kuban historians - Prokopiy Korolenko, Ivan Popka, Fyodor Shcherbina - almost nothing is said about the special, relatively speaking, schools of characterizations into which their gangs turned . True, the adherents of characterization themselves, the bearers of its secrets, who acted as teachers, were very reluctant to talk about them, and everyone who became their student took a vow of non-disclosure. And yet, it’s time to collect bit by bit everything that can still be revived in this movement.
The Ukrainian Kuban Plastuns became famous throughout the Russian Empire during the defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855, where two separate Plastun (2nd and 8th) battalions operated. It was the plastuns, who crept up to the fourth French bastion at night, captured it in hand-to-hand combat, destroying almost all the gunners and covering soldiers, and while retreating, the giant official Ivan Gerasimenko took it with him - put it on his shoulder and carried it! - A multi-pound mortar, causing indescribable surprise among everyone who witnessed his return to his positions. Subsequently, the Russians used Plastun units in all wars, including during the First World War.
It is known that the Kuban Cossacks, almost in full military capacity, participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, however, few people knew that the Plastuns especially distinguished themselves during the defense of Shipka (in Bulgaria). And for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. As many as six battalions of Kuban plastuns were sent, who showed miracles of courage there.
With the adoption of the "Regulations" I mentioned, the military uniform - the uniform - of the Black Sea Cossacks was finally determined. In general, the order to switch to a new uniform appeared back in 1814, immediately after the war with Napoleon, when the need arose for the Black Sea Army to have its established uniform and more similar to the regular one. However, even after this order, a significant part of the Cossacks continued to appear for service in multi-colored trousers, caftans and embroidered shirts, that is, in the traditional clothes of the Zaporozhye Cossacks. While the other part was already dressed in Circassian coats, beshmets, and wore hoods and hats. Here is how this process of “dressing up” the descendants of the Zaporozhye Cossacks is presented by D. Bely in “Raspberry Wedge”:
“Gradually, during the war, the Black Sea people changed their uniform, borrowing it from the Circassians, since it was more suitable for fighting in mountainous conditions. This is how a special type of Cossack Kuban citizens developed, who already wore beshmets, Circassians, hoods and hats. Beshmet or chekmen, sewed made of multi-colored fabric - blue, yellow, red, and put on a shirt. It was just below the hips in length, with a wide stand-up collar. In winter, the Kuban people wore warm quilted beshmets, and in the summer simple ones, lined. On top of the beshmet they put on a Circassian coat, which was sewn from thin cloth, length below the knees, with a low cut on the chest, the beshmet opened, the sleeves were made wide at the bottom, with colored lapels. Gazyrs were sewn on the chest of the Circassian coat, which initially served as a kind of shelter for powder charges, and then, with the spread of rapid-fire rifles, in them special decorations were inserted. Kubans were tied up with a thin Caucasian strap with a tin set on which a dagger was attached. They wore high sheepskin hats on their heads. In the 40s, this clothing became the main military formation of the Black Sea people. The Cossacks of each village, who served together, had separate colors, but the common colors were black (among the Plastuns), dark blue (among the cavalry) and green (among the gunners).
In the first generations of the Black Sea people, spears were extremely popular (“A Cossack without a shaft is like a girl without a necklace”), but then they were replaced by short spears9 which the Cossacks mastered brilliantly. Along with clothing, the Black Sea people borrowed long daggers and sabers from the Circassians.”1
The development of new Kuban territories required new waves of settlers. Therefore, Gregory rasp, as a chieftain, fell to become the organizer of the last large wave of such resettlement from Left Bank Ukraine and Slobozhanshchina. Dozens of Cossack agitators were sent to these regions, who knew exactly what and how to tell the local peasants in order to arouse in them an interest in the distant Kuban land. Moreover, the Cossacks did not have to bend their souls especially: they really lived a free life, not knowing what serfdom was; there the owner was the master of his land. Statistics claim that during 1848-1849, while this wave of resettlement lasted, more than 14,000 Ukrainians moved to the Black Sea region.
Even earlier, in 1843, two regiments of Chuguev Cossacks arrived in Kuban, who at one time, having moved away from the city of Chuguev in the Kharkov region, to new lands, in the upper reaches of the Kuban River, founded their Cossack society there. Having learned that such a selective knighthood had formed in the lower reaches of the Kuban, the Chuguev Cossacks, of course, wanted to join him in order to live and fight together.
Despite all his diligence, the punished ataman Gregory the rasp still did not enjoy any special favor from the Russian command and, especially, from the royal governor in the Caucasus, but he left his mark in the history of the Ukrainian Kuban Cossacks. So don't forget it.
V. A. Mazein, A. A. Roshchin, S. G. Temirov
On military holidays and other special occasions, the Kuban Cossack Army usually organized a procession with regalia on Krasnaya Street in Yekaterinodar. The ceremony of each such event was specially decorated, but the tradition was observed: the first to be carried were 12 ancient kuren badges and 18 copper kuren pennachs, then the kuren banners, regimental, military and other relics, then, on crimson velvet pillows, the royal letters and rescripts, and after them The ataman with the ataman's mace, granted by Catherine II to the Black Sea Cossack army in 1788 as one of the regalia of the former Zaporozhye Sich, was already following the order.
The mace, this type of ancient Russian club, from time immemorial in the Cossack troops personified the supreme power, but the priority of the kuren insignia over the ataman insignia, so clearly manifested in the above description (it dates back to the 80s of the 19th century), is obvious and symbolic. Once upon a time, during the early Sich, the Koshevoy ataman led the same simple life as ordinary Cossacks, lived in the same kuren in which he was registered before his election, ate at a common table and even received a dress from the military “stuff”. Only in wartime did he enjoy unlimited rights, but he gave an annual report on his activities to the military council and could be immediately punished for misconduct...
In the 19th century, everything was, of course, completely different. After the Black Sea and Don Cossacks moved to Kuban, the Ataman's mace was given to many people here. However, the atamans, due to the changed position of the Cossacks, no longer served the “comradeship,” as the Cossack freemen were previously called, but the sovereign-emperor; their activities were carried out in line with the state policy of that time.
Combining military and civil power, the atamans had significant powers and played a significant role in matters of economics, improvement, and public life of the region. Therefore, directly or indirectly, their biographies are connected with the history of Kuban.
Having listed those who were entrusted with the control of the Cossack army, it is easy to see that not all atamans were outstanding personalities. Among them were, of course, such major figures of the Cossacks as Z. Chepega, A. Golovaty, F. Bursak and others, who did a lot of useful things for the region; there were also those who had more tragic pages of history associated with the suppression of popular movements, the events of the Caucasian War, revolutions... There are also ordinary servicemen on the Ataman’s list, to whom history has allocated only a few cursory lines in the chronicle of the region, but there are also such , who deserves entire chapters, unfortunately not yet written by posterity.
Let us not disturb this historical series, built by the past era, and we will not rush into assessments: much still remains unexplored, unknown, and even lost forever.
Therefore, our material is by no means an attempt to recreate historical portraits, but rather just touches to them, brief comments on the photographs... We will present in more detail here the biographies of the first Black Sea atamans in connection with the approaching 200th anniversary of Krasnodar and the villages. The biographies of many others require additional research.
In preparing this material, the works of pre-revolutionary historians F.A. Shcherbina, P.P. Korolenko, E.D. Felitsyn, I.D. Popko, I. Bentkovsky, I. Kravtsov, as well as documents from the State Archives of the Krasnodar Territory were used.
So, atamans...
Black Sea Cossack Army
Caucasian linear Cossack army
Kuban Cossack Army
November 2, 1919, the Kuban Rada elected Major General as military ataman Nikolai Mitrofanovich Uspensky- a native of the village of Kaladzhinskaya, who was part of the regional government. He remained in office for little more than a month, as he died unexpectedly of typhus on December 17.
Two weeks later, Major General was elected military ataman Nikolai Adrianovich Bukretov, who served in the regional government department for food and supplies. In March 1920, after the Red Army entered Yekaterinodar, the Whites retreated to the Black Sea coast. Bukretov was part of the Kuban Army, which capitulated in May in the Adler region, from where he fled on a destroyer to Georgia. There he transferred his powers and the ataman's mace to the chairman of the regional government, V.N. Ivanis, and then moved to Turkey, where, according to some sources, he opened the Golden Cockerel restaurant in Constantinople.
The next ataman of the Kuban Cossack army, already in exile, was elected a former member of the regional government for military affairs, Major General Vyacheslav Grigorievich Shumeiko, who held this position until 1945.
Let us complete here our first acquaintance with the “ataman” pages of the history of the Kuban Cossacks. As the reader has seen, individual lines have so far been taken from these pages, and the closer to the present time, the more questions arise for the researcher. Therefore, we will not draw the line, especially since a huge layer of people’s life in its most varied manifestations is not included in the framework of this narrative, but only against its background, only in connection with it is it possible to objectively consider the place and role of this or that individual.
By restoring the holders of the ancient Ataman's mace in the historical chain, we wanted to show that lines of different destinies were drawn across the vast field of Kuban history. After all, it is the past represented in faces that can strengthen the historical memory of descendants...
Zakhary Alekseevich Chepega
Once upon a time in the Zaporozhye Sich, atamans - leaders of the free Cossack brotherhood - were chosen by the Cossacks themselves. Together and openly voting, the Sicheviks determined who would receive the mace of the ataman of the entire Zaporozhye Kosh for a year or several years. Each kuren elected its own kuren atamans, who were subordinate to the Koshevoy, that is, the main ataman. In those distant times, the Kosh atamans lived the same simple and harsh life as ordinary Cossacks. They ate at a common table, received clothing and weapons from common supplies, and lived in the kurens where they lived before their election. For misdeeds they could be severely punished and even whipped. And only in wartime the ataman enjoyed unlimited power. Every year he gave a report on his affairs to the military council.
Gradually, the Cossacks switched to serving the state and lost their former independence - “freedom”. In the Army of the loyal Black Sea Cossacks, formed from the remnants of the Sich, only at first the atamans were elected by the Cossacks, and they were confirmed by the emperor; then atamans were appointed by imperial decrees. The ataman was considered not only a military, but also a civilian commander of the army and united enormous power in his hands. In the history of the Cossacks of Kuban there were many atamans. They were called differently at different times - koshev, military, punitive. Many of them through their deeds earned the love and respect of their contemporaries and the grateful memory of their descendants. But according to the old Zaporozhye custom, the Black Sea Cossacks called only two of their leaders “fathers” - Zakhary Alekseevich Chepegu (Chepigu) and Anton Andreevich Golovaty.
The first ataman of the Black Sea Cossack army, created in 1787 according to the thoughts of Prince Grigory Alekseevich Potemkin and the decree of Empress Catherine the Great, was Sidor Ignatievich Bely. This brave warrior did not live to see the Cossacks move to Kuban - in July 1788, in the battle of the Black Sea people with the Turkish fleet, he was mortally wounded and died. At the same time, “His Serene Highness Prince” Potemkin signed a decree appointing Zakhary Alekseevich Chepega as ataman of the Army of the Loyal Black Sea Cossacks. As a sign of respect and recognition of his military merits, the field marshal presented Chepega with an expensive saber. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791. he commanded the cavalry and participated in all the most important battles. During the capture of the Turkish fortress Izmail, commander A.V. Suvorov entrusted Chepega with leading one of the assault troops to the fortress. By the time of his election as ataman, Chepega had the rank of army brigadier and was a holder of three Russian orders.
Zakhary Alekseevich was ataman for almost ten years. He glorified himself with many deeds, but the main thing was the founding of the capital of the Black Sea Army in June 1793. The Cossack leader did not have to live for long in the “God-saved city of Ekaterinodar,” where he built himself a hut above the Karasun River. In June 1794, by decree of Catherine the Great, Chepega set off on the Polish campaign with two regiments of Black Sea men. On the way to Poland, the ataman was invited to the empress's court. During lunch, the empress herself treated the old warrior to grapes and peaches (One of the Cossack legends says that the empress then gave Chepega a golden saber. Historian Evgeny Dmitrievich Felitsyn claimed that this saber was kept in one old Cossack family back in 1888. Where is it now and whether it actually was is unknown). When the campaign was completed successfully, the returning chieftain was awarded the rank of general. And just a year after returning to Yekaterinodar, on January 14, 1797, the famous ataman, beloved by all Cossacks “Kharko Chepiga,” died in his hut “from a puncture lung,” that is, from a pulmonary disease, and was buried with military honors on the site of the building Resurrection Military Cathedral.
According to the historian Prokofy Petrovich Korolenko, who recorded the stories of old Black Sea residents, Ataman Chepega was “short, with broad shoulders, a large forelock and a huge mustache...”. History has not preserved his portrait. Once a painter came to Zakhary Alekseevich and wanted to paint a portrait of the ataman. In response to his request to pose for him, Chepega replied: “You are a painter (that is, an artist), so you’re a painter, but I was a geniral, I’m a painter, no need to do it...”. Almost two centuries later, Krasnodar artist O.M. Gavrilov, based on verbal descriptions and his ideas about the appearance of the founder of Ekaterinodar, created a portrait of Ataman Chepega. Now this portrait adorns one of the halls of the Krasnodar Historical and Archaeological Museum.
Anton Andreevich Golovaty was born in 1732 in the family of a Ukrainian Cossack foreman, and studied at the Kyiv Bursa (that is, theological seminary). From there in 1757 he fled to the Zaporozhye Sich, where over time, thanks to his natural intelligence and organizational abilities, he became an influential person. After the defeat of the Sich, Golovaty became one of the founders and leaders of the Army of Loyal Cossacks, settled between the Bug and the Dniester. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-91. he commanded a rowing flotilla and proved himself to be a skilled military leader and a brave warrior. It was under the command of Anton Andreevich that the Cossacks on boats managed to take the hitherto impregnable Turkish fortress on the island of Berezan. In honor of this feat, one of the first kurens in the Kuban was later named Berezansky, now it is the Berezansky village. At the same time, the Cossack flotilla distinguished itself during the siege of Bendery, and during the assault on Izmail, the Black Sea people sank and burned 90 Turkish ships.
In 1791, the “protector of the Cossacks,” Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin Tauride, died, and the Cossacks had no choice but to ask for the Empress’ mercy. And the Cossacks sent their deputation to the court of Catherine the Great. Having earned the favor of the empress with their exploits, the Black Sea residents hoped to receive Kuban lands for the settlement of troops. This deputation was headed by military judge Golovaty. In St. Petersburg, among the proud and arrogant nobles of Catherine, who invited the valiant Sich to their salons and balls as a curiosity, Anton Andreevich managed to pretend to be a simple-minded, uneducated Cossack, surprised them with his unusual appearance and other eccentricities, aroused sympathy for the difficult Cossack lot by singing and playing on a bandura. But when Golovaty managed to receive from the Empress a letter of grant of Kuban lands to the Black Sea Army, he surprised everyone by delivering a brilliant speech of gratitude!
Being an educated and talented man, Golovaty showed himself as a warrior, as a military leader, as a diplomat, and even as a musician. He composed several songs that later became considered folk.
In 1793, Golovaty led a large detachment of Cossacks to the Kuban land. In Taman, where he initially lived, a military judge built the first church in the Land of the Black Sea Army in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. This church, which is considered one of the shrines of the Cossacks, still exists. As soon as Anton Andreevich appeared in Yekaterinodar, he immediately began to equip the military capital. A letter has been preserved that he wrote to Ataman Chepega in Poland: “Your words spoken at the designation (that is, the founding - V.B.) of the city of Ekaterinodar, against the Karasun rowing (dam - V.B.), under an oak tree standing near your yard , I did not forget about the establishment of various fish and crayfish, but fulfilled last year: I released fish from Kuban, and crayfish brought from Temryuk ... ". Golovaty was the main ideologist of the creation of the “Order of Common Benefit” - a document that regulated all aspects of the life of the Black Sea Army, but actually abolished the remnants of Cossack self-government. Probably, the very text of this first “constitution of the Kuban region” was drawn up by a military judge, who was well aware that the former Cossack freemen remained behind the Dnieper rapids, and in the Kuban the Black Sea people were awaiting sovereign service. The elders and ordinary Cossack people deeply respected their “father” Golovaty, they even composed a proverb about him, which lived for more than a century in popular Kuban speech: “You know about this Golovaty Anton: we blame our heads, ours and our father blame us.” smooth!" (that is, he made us Cossacks again - V.B.).
Anton Andreevich Golovaty was tall and corpulent. As historian E.D. wrote Felitsyn, “had a constantly shaved head, with a thick “ozeledets” (that is, a long forelock - V.B.) and a red, pockmarked face with a huge mustache.” As another historian noted, I.D. Popko, believed that the Black Sea people “considered the mustache the best adornment of the Cossack personality, but they did not wear a beard at all and treated it with contempt...”.
At the end of February 1796, Golovaty with two regiments of Cossacks set off from Ekaterinodar to the Caspian Sea - on the Persian campaign. The Cossacks fought the Persians bravely, but the unusual climate, hunger and disease claimed hundreds of lives. The fever did not spare Anton Andreevich either - he died on January 28, 1797, at the 53rd year of his life, without knowing that after the death of Zakhary Chepega, the Cossacks in Yekaterinodar elected him as their chieftain. Second Major Chernyshev, who was with the military judge, reported to Kuban with a report that “... Mr. Brigadier and Cavalier Anton Andreevich Golovaty, having command of the Caspian Fleet and the troops on the Kamyshevan Peninsula, also died on the 28th day of January, and on the 29th with an excellent ceremony from naval and ground forces are buried." In 1996, a small group of Krasnodar scientists tried to find the burial place of this great Black Sea resident on the Caspian shores. On the island of Sary, where, according to some information, Golovaty was buried, it was possible to discover an entire cemetery of Russian sailors and a large slab over a common officer’s grave, in which Anton Andreevich was probably buried. In order to finally be convinced of this, new research and new scientific expeditions are needed.
The hungry and tattered Cossacks who returned from the campaign to Kuban, having not received the salary due to them, demanded “satisfaction of grievances.” These events went down in the history of Kuban as the “Persian revolt”. Military clerk Timofey Kotlyarevsky was at that time in St. Petersburg for the coronation of Emperor Paul I and was appointed military ataman. The newly-minted ataman lived most of the time in the capital, from where he sent orders and instructions to Kuban. The Cossacks never called him “father.”
...In 1907, not far from the place where Ekaterinodar was once founded, in Atamansky Square in front of the palace of the ataman of the Kuban Cossack Army, a monument to Empress Catherine the Great, created according to the design of Academician M.O., was inaugurated. Mikeshin by sculptor B.V. Edwards. The majestic figure of the empress was placed on a high pedestal, and from her feet fell a scroll on which the text of the Charter of the Black Sea Army was written in gold letters. Below, at the foot, were the figures of Prince Grigory Potemkin, atamans Sidor Bely, Zakhary Chepega and Anton Golovaty. On the back side of the pedestal there were figures of a blind musician-kobzar with a guide, and below was a slab with the text of a song composed by Golovaty, which ends with the words: “Dyakuimo Tsarytsyu, praying to God, who showed us the way to Kuban.” Thus, the grateful Kuban Cossacks perpetuated the memory and paid tribute to the empress and the first Black Sea atamans.
Bondar V.V.
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Atamans of the Kuban Cossack Army
Who, where are you from, free people,
Proud people - Cossacks,
The peasants came to these steppes
From the sea, from land or from the river?
Time makes rough roads,
Who abandoned the stirrups?
But the Cossacks left us
For history names...
People are strong and hot
Tempered in the wind
Isn't it destined by fate itself,
So that you serve good?!
Our time is a troubled time,
Every day there is alarming news.
Times are troubled, but not sad,
God, and Russia, and honor are with us!
K. Iskhakova
Interest in the past of the Kuban Cossacks on the part of the scientific community, the general population and participants in the revival is a powerful process today.
The society itself is interested in the revival of the Cossacks in modern conditions; there is an intensive search for optimal ways to use it.
The story will be about the atamans of the Kuban Cossack army and about the history and activities of the Gelendzhik city Cossack society at the present time.
There was complete equality among the Cossacks, and people distinguished by their intelligence, knowledge, talents and personal merit were nominated and elected to leadership positions. The Cossacks did not know any privileges due to origin, nobility of the family, wealth or any other grounds. Removed hundreds of miles from government centers, the Cossacks had to create power for themselves locally. It was an elective government - the Military and. Koshevoy ataman. The highest executive body was the Military Government, which included 4 persons: ataman, judge, clerk and captain.
Scientists associate the origin of the word “ataman” with the Gothic dialect, where " atta" meant "father", and "mann" - "husband", that is, "father of husbands". This is where the address "father - ataman" came from. This is how the ataman is addressed today. But the ataman's sole power was limited by the norms of Orthodoxy and the Cossacks customs, and sometimes the ataman could not do anything without the decision of the Rada.
Practically, the atamans were the same Cossacks as all Cossacks, only endowed with special responsibilities and endowed with the full trust of the Cossacks. This concerns the distant past, when the formation of the Kuban Cossack army had just begun.
Over time, a significant role in the formation of the administrative management of the Kuban began to be played by the Koshevoy, military and command atamans of the Black Sea, Caucasian linear and Kuban Cossack troops. By combining military and civil power, the atamans already had significant powers and did a lot to strengthen the economy, improvement and public life of Kuban. Their activities were carried out in line with Russian state policy, but the interests of the Cossacks were not forgotten.
The fate and activities of the atamans of the Kuban Cossack army are inseparable from historical events.
In 1829, according to the Adrianople Peace Treaty with the Ottoman Empire, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus from the Ana fortress to Poti, inhabited by Circassian tribes, went to Russia. In order to consolidate the acquired territory along the Caucasian coast, the construction of fortifications began, which began in 1831, when Russian troops landed in Gelendzhik Bay. In general, from 1831 to 1842. 17 fortifications were erected on the Black Sea coast, making up the Black Sea coastline
At the same time, construction began on another line from the Kuban to the Black Sea, called Gelendzhik, and stretching more than 80 kilometers.
This territory was part of the Caucasian linear Cossack army, the first chieftain of which was P.S. Verzilin. Managing a vast territory required considerable administrative skills. According to contemporaries, Verzilin, a purely military man, did not possess these abilities. Therefore, Emperor Nicholas 1, after visiting the North Caucasus in 1837, gave the order to appoint Major General S.S. as ataman. Nikolaev. The hereditary Don Cossack, Stepan Stepanovich Nikolaev, thoroughly knowing the Cossack life, managed to do a lot for the well-being of the army. Under him, 22 villages were founded, the development of the New Line began, and the “Regulations on the Caucasian Linear Cossack Army” were approved. After his death, Major General F.A. was appointed in his place. Krukovsky, about whose exploits the linear Cossacks composed songs that far outlived their chieftain. He devoted all his activities free from campaigns to the organization of military life, inspecting the villages, inspecting the regiments. At the beginning of 1852, while taking a blockade on the Goyta River in Chechnya, he was cut down by mountaineers.
The fourth chieftain of the linemen was the head of the center of the Caucasian line, Major General Prince G.R. Eristov. He did not take office because his health was poor, and soon left for Tiflis.
The last atamans of the army became ON THE. Rudzevich. Rudzevich was awarded many awards, participated in the Russian-Turkish and Caucasian wars, and in the captivity of Shamil. Historians consider his peacekeeping activities to be the most fruitful. Ataman Rudzevich achieved the dissolution of the reserve Cossack battalions from the cordon line, which allowed the Cossacks to take care of their farming. He provided financial assistance to the settlers of new villages; at his request, the period of active Cossack service was reduced from 25 to 15 years. Among the Cossack population, Rudzevich N.A. was very popular.
Turning to the history of the settlement of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, we learn that on March 10, 1866. The Black Sea District was established as an independent unit within the Russian state. The settlement of this area was carried out by veteran Cossacks who served for at least 20 years and took an active part in hostilities. This is how the Shapsug coastal battalion was formed. The Cossacks of the battalion were settled in twelve coastal villages: Gelendzhik, Aderbievka, Pshadskaya, Nebugskaya, Velyaminovskaya, Georgievskaya.
Several hundred Cossacks and their families moved to Gelendzhik and the regions. The government hoped to turn the settlers into a reliable stronghold, strengthen border security and the defense capability of the Trans-Kuban region and the Black Sea coast.
Residents of the new settlements were not ready to work in the local climate, and crop failures often occurred. Difficulties in communication and lack of qualified medical care led to high mortality. The settlers suffered from fever, scurvy, dropsy, and dysentery.
In addition to losses from disease, the Cossacks died in battles with the highlanders. Despite being exempt from military service, they had to protect their settlements.
It was a strange and cruel war - without a permanent enemy, without rules, without a front line, without pity for the enemy. In skirmishes and skirmishes, people died, livestock and prisoners were stolen.
In response to this, the Cossacks did the same: they burned villages and stole livestock.
The chronicler of the Kuban regiment wrote about the life of the Cossacks: “... for 70 years the Kuban Cossacks endured a life full of constant anxiety, murders and robberies from the enemy and did not lose heart, but were always distinguished by cheerfulness and fearlessness.”
In 1860 according to the project of the commander of the Caucasian Army, Prince A.I. Baryatinsky, instead of the Black Sea and Caucasian linear Cossack troops, two new ones were formed - Kuban with a center in Ekaterinodar and Terek with a center in Vladikavkaz. The brigades of the Caucasian Linear Army also went to the Kuban Army along with the Black Sea region. The position of the head of the region was combined with the position of ataman. Usually the ataman lived in Yekaterinodar.
He became the first ataman of the Kuban Cossack army in 1860. Commander of the Kuban Region troops, Adjutant General Count N.I. Evdokimov. In 1861 he handed over the Ataman's mace to Major General ON THE. Ivanov, who was involved in organizing the management of the new army.
August 23, 1862 Adjutant General F.N. was appointed to the post of ataman. Sumarokov-Elston. Under him, the Cossacks settled the foothills of the Western Caucasus, which turned into troubles and hardships for the residents of the new villages.
After the end of the war in 1864, a stream of nonresident immigrants poured into the Kuban region. At the same time, Sumarokov-Elston contributed to the development of education, trade and industry in the region.
In February 1869 Lieutenant General was appointed ataman M.A. Tsakni. During the period of his atamanship, the “Regulations on public administration in the Cossack troops” were introduced, the first work on the delimitation of lands began and forms of land ownership were established that lasted until 1917. Tsakni also took part in drawing up regulations on the liberation of dependent classes in the mountain societies of the Kuban region.
From 1873 to 1882, the appointed ataman of the Kuban Cossack army was Lieutenant General ON THE. Karmalin, a graduate of the Nikolaev General Staff Academy, who has done a lot for the economic and cultural development of the region. Only from 1874 to 1880. In the Kuban region, 136 school buildings were built, and the Kuban Military Ethnographic and Natural History Museum was opened.
E.D. Felitsyn defines the main feature of this ataman’s activity as follows: “Deep interest in the needs of the region and the Cossacks.” Karmalin did not miss a single article in print on the issue of the Russian land community and was familiar with the subject no worse than any specialist. On May 9, 1879, the Caucasian department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society elected him as a full member.
On January 22, 1882, Lieutenant General assumed the post of ataman S.A. Sheremetev, descended from an ancient boyar family. The list of his military exploits took up several pages; he enjoyed the respect of the Cossacks.
At the end of March 1884 takes office as a punished chieftain G.A. Leonov. Cossack origin and knowledge of local life made it easier for G.A. Leonov management of the Kuban region. He was elected an honorary old man in the villages of Korenovskaya and Batalpashinskaya.
After his death in January 1892. The Kuban Cossack army was led by Lieutenant General Ya.D. Malam. During his reign, the region experienced a period of economic and social growth.
In 1904-1906. was a chieftain YES. Odintsov, whose atamanship coincided with the Russo-Japanese War and the events of the Russian Revolution. Under him, 4 mobilizations were carried out in the region, the performances of the Plastun battalions and the rebellion of the Cossacks of the 2nd Urup Regiment were suppressed.
In March 1906 Lieutenant General was appointed ataman N.I. Mikhailov. Despite his Cossack origin (he was a hereditary Ural Cossack), Mikhailov, through his inaction, indulged revolutionary terrorists who committed heinous atrocities with impunity. Assistant police chief Grigory Zhuravel, secretary of the Kuban Statistical Committee S.V., fell at the hands of terrorists. Rudenko. The director of public schools G.M. was killed. Spire. All of them were Cossacks. The victims multiplied, so in February 1908 Mikhailov was removed and became ataman. appointed native Kuban Cossack of the village of Novovelichkovskaya as lieutenant general Mikhail Pavlovich Babych. The new ataman decided to put an end to terror and anarchy and introduced a curfew in Yekaterinodar. Most Kuban residents were happy: the Law came into force. Thanks to the will and strict rule of M.P. Babych terrorists will leave the Kuban region. Three weeks later, when Kuban was cleared of revolutionaries, the restrictions imposed were lifted.
Babych fought against demagoguery, the propaganda of imaginary “liberation ideas” that led gullible people away from pressing vital issues of needs to the obvious death of society, the destruction of their homes and spiritual shrines. The economy and morality were streamlined, and social life in the region was revived.
In 1914 M.P. Babych was in Gelendzhik and surrounding villages. Everyone in need of help came to see the ataman; no one left without hope and consolation, without solving their problem.
For services to the Fatherland M.P. In the same year, Babych was promoted to infantry general.
After the October Revolution of 1917 In the whirlwind of revolutionary events, the Cossacks did not lose their fighting qualities, fighting spirit, and showed miracles of courage, heroism, military valor and discipline. The same applies to the participation of Cossacks in the Civil and Great Patriotic War: the 4th Guards Kuban Cossack Corps reached Vienna, Kuban Cossacks took part in the ceremonial parade on Red Square in 1945. Thousands and thousands of Cossacks have awards, there are Heroes of the Soviet Union, among them are our fellow Gelendzhi residents.
According to the historian A.N. Malukalo, the Kuban Cossack army already by the beginning of the 20th century demanded radical changes in the control system. A situation has arisen that requires a radical reorganization of military institutions, without which “the army and the Cossacks as a military class were doomed to disappear.”
And not only as a military thing... During 1917-1930. As a result of repressive policies, more than 5 million people of the Cossack class were killed.
But, as the popular proverb states: “There is no translation for the Cossack family.”
During the years of perestroika, the Cossacks entered the era of their revival.
In 1989 An urban Cossack society was created in Gelendzhik.
Soloviev Yuri Aleksandrovich was chosen as the first ataman.
In 1998 Anatoly Konstantinovich Kovbasyuk was elected ataman, who holds this position to this day.
Here is what he said about how the Cossacks live today: “Until 1990, the authorities claimed that during the years of socialism the Cossacks ceased to exist. The use of external attributes was allowed: traditional uniforms, paramilitary sports competitions, etc.
Perestroika led to the awakening of the cultural and political consciousness of the descendants of the Cossacks. In the fall of 1989 The Kuban Cossack Club was created in Krasnodar, the main goal of which was historical education and patriotic education. Summer 1990 Representatives of Cossack societies took part in the Founding Congress of Cossacks of Russia in Moscow.
In exile, V.G. Naumenko was elected ataman.
In October 1990 The first Constituent All-Kuban Cossack Congress took place: the Kuban Cossack Rada was created. Already October 12-14, 1990 The 1st (Founding) All-Kuban Cossack Congress took place in Krasnodar. He approved the name of the regional association (Kuban Cossack Rada), adopted the charter, determined the principles and directions of activity. Ataman of the Kuban Cossack Army Abroad (USA) A.M. Pivnev presented in Krasnodar the banner of the Kuban Cossack Army, brought from abroad.
V.P. was elected Ataman. Gromov, a hereditary Cossack from the village of Pashkovskaya, associate professor at Kuban State University.
The goals and objectives of the activities of the Cossack society were determined: the revival and preservation of the Cossacks as a special ethnic group; restoration of the historical truth about the Cossacks; military-patriotic work to prepare young people for military service; propaganda of customs, holidays, rituals, crafts and trades, and the life of the Cossacks.
The revived Cossacks of Kuban came out in defense of a single strong Russian state. Volunteer Cossacks defended Orthodox Christians in Transnistria, Yugoslavia, and Chechnya. Cossack organizations of the region expressed their readiness to perform military and law enforcement service.
V.P. Gromov, a Cossack general, was an adviser to the Office of the President of the Russian Federation on Cossack Issues, as well as deputy chairman of the Coordination Council for Cossack Affairs. Currently V.P. Gromov is a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory, chairman of the committee on military issues and Cossack affairs.
On November 17, 2007, by the decision of the Cossack gathering, the vice-governor of Kuban was elected ataman of the Kuban Cossack Army (KKV) Nikolai Doluda. In this post, he replaced Vladimir Gromov, who led the army for 17 years. The new ataman of the KKV in his response thanked the Cossacks for their trust.
On February 1, 2008, the newly elected ataman of the Kuban Cossack army, Nikolai Doluda, swore allegiance to the Kuban Cossacks at the first military Rada of the year.
The ataman’s solemn speech, according to tradition, ended with a kiss of the Holy Gospel and the cross. After the wishes of the military priest Father Sergius, Nikolai Doluda thanked the Cossacks for the trust they placed in him in the election of the ataman, and promised to work day and night, sparing no effort, for the good of the army.
For instruction, the floor was given to the Chairman of the Council of Old Men of the KKV, Pavel Frolov. The elderly Cossack seasoned his orders with symbolic blows of the whip on the ataman’s back.
Today, no one doubts that the revival of the Kuban Cossacks has taken place. Now we need to move forward, live life to the fullest for the benefit of ourselves and the state.
Over the past three years, within the framework of the regional target program, the Cossacks have actively participated in the preservation of the traditional culture of the Kuban, interregional and interethnic cooperation and the protection of public order. But if at first this was enough, today it is no longer enough.
The Kuban Cossack army is a strong and organized structure, said Nikolai Doluda. - It is necessary to work to increase the prestige of the Cossacks and the Cossacks. But talk and orders alone cannot raise authority. We need concrete things to do. This is exactly what my work will be aimed at.
According to the ataman, every Kuban village, every village, every city should be involved in the activities of the army. Atamans and local heads must not only consult with each other, but also act together for the benefit of all residents.
Now it is impossible to imagine the existence of a separate “Cossack nation”, because society lives in completely different historical conditions than hundreds of years ago.
The Cossacks today are a social group of Russian society focused on employment in agriculture, military and law enforcement service, educating the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism and preserving the unique culture of the Cossacks.
The Gelendzhik Cossacks number 216 people. Among them are employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, officers and ordinary residents of the city who take an active part in the public life of the city and region. The Cossacks take care of preserving the ecological purity of the bay (they picketed the construction of the seaport for 2 months), forest cordons are created to prevent illegal logging and unlicensed shooting of wild animals, and explosive shells are neutralized.
Cossacks take an active part in parades dedicated to the anniversary of the rehabilitation of the Kuban Cossacks in 2004, Victory Day, and in all public events that are held in our city, for example, the consecration of the temple in the village. Divnomorskoye, in memory of F.A. Shcherbiny in Dzhankhot.
Particular attention is paid to civic, patriotic and spiritual education: Cossack classes have been created at Municipal Educational Institution Secondary School No. 3, a Sunday parochial school is operating, 7 young Gelendzhi residents entered the Cossack cadet corps in Novocherkassk.
The Cossacks prepare young people for military service, and the ataman himself takes part in live shooting.
Sports events are held.
In educating young people, they actively take part in the fight against drug addiction and smoking, promote a healthy lifestyle, in a word, they do everything possible so that young people grow up physically and morally healthy, and the state can be proud of the new generation."
Currently, there is a revival of the glorious Kuban Cossacks, led at all times by atamans who possess the true qualities of a real Cossack: military valor, courage, dignity and honor, and the ability to lead people.
Summer and autumn are now rich in events in the life of the Kuban Cossacks. Moreover, the events are memorable and significant. Some of them have already passed, others are yet to come. And not only the celebrations dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the Cossack landing on Taman and the 80th anniversary of the Krasnodar Territory.
In October, delegations of all registered troops of Russia will gather in Krasnodar and discuss the most important issues of the development of the Cossacks. Ataman of the Kuban Cossack Army Nikolai DOLUDA told “Free Kuban” about this and much more.
— Nikolai Alexandrovich, first of all, on behalf of the Free Kuban people, I congratulate you on your confirmation by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin as ataman of the Kuban Cossack army.
Thank you.
Not long ago, Sochi hosted Confederations Cup football matches. In addition to law enforcement agencies, the Kuban army was responsible for maintaining public order in the resort city. How difficult was it for the Cossacks? How did they perform? What is the assessment from the authorities?
I would like to note that maintaining public order at this level is not new for Cossack squads. Fisht Stadium, Olympic Park, embankment of the resort city, airport, railway and bus stations - the Cossacks had experience serving at these facilities before, during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the international stage of Formula 1 racing. 625 Cossacks were recruited to assist the police at the Confederations Cup. Of these, 350 served as guards together with police officers along the outer perimeter of the Fisht stadium, in Adler, Sochi, Khost, on the territory of Imereti Bay and the Olympic Park. The Cossacks were part of a squad where the senior officer was a police officer, and they served around the clock. On normal days they had 36 patrol routes, and on game days - up to 70. Fortunately, there were no incidents.
The Cossack squads were highly appreciated by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko. He noted that when sporting events of this scale are held in Kuban, it is impossible to do without the Cossacks! They have become the hallmark of the region. And Colonel General of Police, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Alexander Gorovoy personally thanked for the assistance provided by the Cossacks to the police in maintaining order. I also want to thank the police officers for organizing the service and transferring experience to the Cossacks in maintaining public order.
July marked five years since the devastating flood in Krymsk, which claimed many lives. But there could have been much more of them if the Cossacks of the Kuban army had not come to the rescue. Nikolai Alexandrovich, you were in Krymsk from the first hours, you saw how the Cossacks saved people, you yourself were in dangerous situations...
It's impossible to forget. I arrived in Krymsk at 6.30 am. Within two hours, about five hundred Cossacks arrived in the city. By evening there were more than a thousand of them. Moreover, the Cossacks rushed to help not by order, but voluntarily, at the call of their hearts. In the first hours, they used two vehicles (KAMAZ and GAZ-66) to remove people from roofs and trees. There were places where the depth was great, and it was impossible to get there with trucks. The Cossacks still made their way and took people to safe places. I set the task of setting up a camp for the victims. At noon the water began to recede, and the Cossacks and I began evacuating the bodies of the dead. This was supposed to be done by the municipality's housing and communal services group, but at that moment the local government was virtually paralyzed.
In the first days, employees of the Investigative Committee and city representatives visited households to determine the damage. After all, in some places the water drowned the house by a meter, and in others it was up to the ceiling. With each such employee and municipal employee there were three or four Cossacks. They cleared the way for those who recorded the extent of the damage. Cossacks with investigative teams examined almost 30 thousand households and participated in the delivery and distribution of water and food. At night, Cossacks, together with police officers, went on duty, protecting houses from looters. The president of the country visited Krymsk twice. I participated in meetings held by Vladimir Putin. He noted the coordinated work of the Cossacks to save people and provide assistance in eliminating the consequences of the emergency.
Another characteristic detail. When Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' arrived in Krymsk, he was the first to reward the Cossacks in the Church of the Kazan Mother of God. This temple was badly damaged by the elements. The water stood here at the four-meter mark. Before the arrival of the patriarch, the Cossacks cleared it of the sand, clay, and dirt that had been applied to it. And only after rewarding the Cossacks, the patriarch served a prayer service in the Church of the Archangel Michael. In those days, the Cossacks showed their best qualities: courage, courage, self-sacrifice. And they proved that you can rely on them!
- Yes, of course, the tragedy of the flooded Krymsk will not be forgotten. As well as the dedication and courage of the Cossacks...
Now let's move on to the fundamental question. Currently, there are several federal regulations and documents regulating the activities of the Russian Cossacks. The need to adopt a federal law on the development of the Russian Cossacks is obvious! The Kuban Cossack army was the first to begin preparing the fundamental law. What are the main provisions of the bill and the degree of its readiness?
Today, a fairly strong regulatory framework has been created - more than 60 acts at the federal and regional levels that determine state policy towards the Cossacks. This is the Strategy for the Development of State Policy of the Russian Federation in relation to the Russian Cossacks until 2020, approved by the President of the Russian Federation, and the concept of state policy of the Russian Federation and the Krasnodar Territory in relation to the Cossacks, and the 154th Federal Law “On the State Service of the Russian Cossacks”, and many others.
However, there is an urgent need to create a basic legal act in which the status of the Cossacks will be secured at the state level as an established civil institution. Without the law, further development of the Cossacks is unthinkable. It is impossible to identify the main and minor provisions of this law. For the Cossacks, they are all key, interconnected with each other. First of all, the basic terms and concepts are spelled out: who is a Cossack, his rights and responsibilities, the status of the Cossack organization, the purpose of the Cossack troops in the national system are determined. The bill also reflects the main directions of development of the Cossacks. Among them are Cossack self-government, issues of public and other services, financial and economic development, education, culture and others. The powers of state authorities and local governments in relation to the Cossacks are consolidated.
For the quality development of Cossack troops, coordination at the federal level is necessary. And the state has already taken this path. Now the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Cossack Affairs has been created and operates, which largely provides support to the registered Cossack troops. But, unfortunately, this body is advisory and advisory. Of course, there is also the Federal Agency for Nationalities of the Russian Federation. But even in this case, the Cossacks are only one of the many areas of his activity. Therefore, we believe that an authorized federal body is needed that would purposefully deal with the development of the Russian Cossacks and represent their interests at the state level, and also coordinate the activities of other federal ministries interacting with military Cossack societies.
We can say that the federal law “On the development of the Russian Cossacks” will form a unified “infrastructure” of the Cossacks and a clear position of the state in relation to them. Systematizes existing legal norms, defines the Cossack community as an established civil institution and gives an incentive for its further development.
The most important thing is that the law will be addressed to every Cossack. Both registered and unregistered Cossacks, if they are determined to create and develop their family circle, the Cossack community, will be able to see themselves in it and find a use for themselves.
Are the atamans of the Russian registered troops familiar with the contents of the bill? Are they ready for their part to contribute to its adoption?
The initiative to develop this law belonged to the Kuban Cossack army, it was supported by the atamans of all registered Cossack troops in Russia.
Moreover, the need for the law was discussed at the Council of Atamans of the Registered Cossack Troops of Russia, as a result of which almost all military Cossack societies sent their proposals to the bill. But the basis was still our achievements, because the Kuban Cossack Army today has extensive experience in the formation of regional legislation regarding the Cossacks, and also fully implements all federal regulations and instructions from the country’s leadership.
Do you know the position of the State Duma deputies regarding this document? What are the prospects for the law to be passed by the lower house? When can we expect a discussion of the bill?
I met with all the deputies from the Krasnodar region. They are waiting for the bill and are ready to support it at the fall session this year. The bill will be introduced by the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs, which coordinates the registered Cossack troops of Russia. The draft law is almost ready, and in the near future we will transfer it to the head of the agency, Igor Barinov.
Serving in Cossack army units is the right idea. Now, speaking about the Cossack units, we are being somewhat disingenuous. For example, the 108th Airborne Assault Regiment is called “Cossack”. But, apart from the name, there is practically nothing Cossack there. You proposed a different concept for the formation of such units. Cossacks must be commanded by Cossack officers, and the uniform must differ from the general military uniform. Your initiative was supported by the Ministry of Defense, but approval usually takes a lot of time. At what stage is the solution to this issue?
This initiative was supported by the Council of Atamans of the Registered Cossack Troops of Russia, and was officially sent to the Ministry of Defense and the Presidential Council for Cossack Affairs. Approval has already been received at the level of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
According to the letter of the General Staff, the military control bodies were given instructions on the procedure and timing for the formation in each Cossack military unit of individual Cossack units staffed by Cossacks, including the possibility of appointing Cossacks serving under contract to command military positions.
The letter from the General Staff also states that the issue of wearing clothing for Cossack military personnel (with distinctive elements) is being studied by the military-heraldic service of the Armed Forces.
I am confident that the implementation of our initiative with the support of the Ministry of Defense will give a new impetus to the Cossacks throughout Russia. This is a big and important step.
By the way, at the Council of Atamans you spoke about the first battalion of the National Guard, which will be formed in the near future. What is its expected number, who will serve in it - conscripts or contract soldiers?
Back in 2016, the Kuban Cossack Army came up with a proposal to create a Cossack unit within the Russian Guard. In the spring, we discussed this initiative together with the governor of the region and the head of the National Guard troops, Viktor Zolotov. We made a joint decision to create a Cossack battalion as part of the National Guard of the Russian Federation in the Krasnodar Territory. The category of employees is also considered.
The Kuban army was the first of the registered troops of Russia to engage in security activities. Now Cossacks guard some state and municipal facilities, including educational institutions, cultural centers, and sports complexes. Does Plastuny private security company intend to increase the number of protected objects?
KKV Cossacks guard 706 schools, 456 kindergartens, 94 regional facilities - technical schools, vocational schools, colleges; 66 sports and cultural facilities, orphanages for creativity. In total - more than 1320 state and municipal facilities. 1402 Cossacks serve. And, of course, we continue to work to increase the number of protected objects.
The most important thing is, of course, the protection of educational institutions, since here the Cossacks are entrusted with the task of not only ensuring the safety of students, but also performing an educational function. Cossack security guards are now teaching assistants. They can talk like men to violators of discipline, and this has a good effect. There are no similar examples in any region of the country. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev correctly noted: if a child sees a Cossack guard in uniform every day, then when he grows up he will remember who guarded him for 11 years. This will become one of the components of the Cossack way of life in Kuban.
Another direction of the Cossack private security companies was the protection of the embankments of the Black Sea resort cities. On the one hand, the appearance of the Cossacks will certainly make it possible to have a psychologically positive impact on vacationers; on the other hand, the Cossacks, alas, cannot check documents or draw up a protocol on administrative offenses. What then is the point of protecting embankments?
A huge number of people vacation on the Black Sea coast; last year alone, about 15 million came. And, of course, guests must be sure that their holiday will not be overshadowed. Police officers will continue to carry out their tasks as before. To help them, security guards from the Cossack private security companies of Anapa, Sochi, Tuapse, Novorossiysk and Gelendzhik have been appointed, who guard municipal property on the embankment territory on their own.
I am sure that a person who intends to commit an offense, seeing the Cossacks, will think a hundred times before doing something bad. This is the main meaning of the protection of embankments by Cossack private security companies. There are not always enough police officers in crowded places, and Cossacks here are a great help for law enforcement officers.
Now more attention is being paid to creating a strong economic base for the Cossacks than ever before. How much has the area of land leased by Cossack societies increased? How many cooperative farms have been created?
In 2016-2017, regional Cossack communities received almost 6.5 thousand hectares of agricultural land. The total area is about 13 thousand hectares. During the same period, 11 agricultural enterprises were created: four each in the Taman and Yeisk departments, two in the Caucasus and one enterprise in the Black Sea district.
The transfer of land for rent to Cossack societies is difficult. Often, officials at various levels try to hide the presence of vacant land and are in no hurry to confiscate it from those farms where lease agreements have expired. What are the prospects for allocating land to regional Cossack societies this year? After all, the more efficiently the Cossacks manage their farms, the more likely they are to receive allotments.
Of course, the work is not going as fast as we would like, because there is almost no free land in the region. But there are positive dynamics. Together with the regional department of property relations, we are constantly studying the situation, identifying unused areas or those for which the lease agreement has expired. Well, then the process proceeds in accordance with current legislation. The governor gave instructions that each regional Cossack society should have at least 300–500 hectares of land. And we are moving towards this goal.
The founding congress of the Cossack Youth Union will take place in September. Great hopes are pinned on this public organization, which will unite not only Cossack youth, but also everyone who wants to. This youth structure, with skillful leadership, can become a powerful tool for the patriotic education of young people, whose minds are now being fought for. How are preparations for the founding congress going? What about personnel locally and in the regional center?
The Kuban Army and the regional Ministry of Education and Science have been moving toward the creation of the Union of Cossack Youth for a long time. The Cossack youth themselves repeatedly came forward with the initiative to unite into the Union. The idea found support at all levels. Anyone who shares the spiritual and moral foundations of the life of the Kuban Cossacks and who is interested in their history, culture and traditions will be able to join the Union. In the future, the ranks will be replenished by young people from technical schools, universities and labor collectives.
The Union is created precisely as a movement, and not a social organization; it will not have membership, but there will be participants. The work will be coordinated by the council, which will include the chairman of the movement, headquarters and representatives of 44 municipal branches.
Among the youth there will also be managers at their level - atamans of educational and youth organizations, atamans of classes and groups of Cossack orientation. The link between the coordination council and the children will be the deputy heads of the education department for educational work of all municipalities, heads of youth affairs bodies, deputy atamans of the RKO, school directors for educational work, atamans of primary Cossack societies, class teachers and Cossack mentors.
Today, active work is underway to prepare for the founding congress, which we plan to hold in mid-September. And, of course, much attention at this stage is paid to personnel - the main driving force of the Union.
Nowadays there are a lot of active, literate young people, and these are the guys we rely on. By the way, recently in the regional camp “Region 93” the first Cossack shift ended, to which many such young people came. They once again confirmed their desire to unite and made many proposals for the future activities of the Union. They want not only to expand communication with peers in the region within the framework of interests in the history, culture, traditions and customs of the Cossacks, but also to interact with municipal and regional authorities to improve the lives of young people in the region.
In October, the All-Russian Forum of Registered Cossack Troops will gather in Kuban. What issues will its participants consider and what specific decisions can be made at the forum?
The main goal of the forum is the exchange of experience between registered Cossack troops. It is extremely important for the Cossacks of Russia today to jointly determine the main goals, objectives, and, in general, the vector for the further development of the country’s Cossacks.
On October 5, a plenary meeting will be held, in which delegations of all Cossack registered troops of Russia, ten people from each, led by atamans, will take part. We will discuss public service, interaction with the Russian Orthodox Church, patriotic education of the younger generation, the creation of an economic base for Cossack troops and, of course, the bill “On the development of the Russian Cossacks.” These issues will be discussed both at the plenary session and at the working sections.
The next day we plan to show the joint divorce of police officers and Cossack squads working on a permanent basis, and how they serve to protect public order. Also show how the honor guard conducts the “Hour of Glory of Kuban”. After all, this is not found in any other registered Cossack society.
Our army has a lot of experience in protecting the state border, in environmental work, and in eliminating the consequences of emergency situations. Of course, it’s impossible to show everything in person. Therefore, we will tell you about something, demonstrate visual material, and teaching aids. It is planned to travel to the Novorossiysk Cossack Cadet Corps, which twice became the winner among educational institutions of this type. There we will also visit one of the Cossack schools, where education is provided at a very high level.
Within the framework of the forum, it is also planned to hold a Council under the President of the Russian Federation on Cossack Affairs. So the forum program will be very eventful.
- We wish you success.
Sergey KAPRELOV
Photo: Savva Yudin, VK Press
