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ATTRITION: SENDING IN THE COSSACKS
Strategy Page
May 7 2014
May 7, 2014: Russia is suffering a major ethnic shift in the Caucasus.
Russians and other people not native to the Caucasus are being driven
out of the region by terrorism, corruption, and a bad attitude towards
outsiders. It's been worse in Chechnya, where Russians comprised 25
percent of the population in 1989, but only two percent today. The
decline has not been as great in the rest of the Caucasus, but it has
been massive, with more than half the Russian residents having left in
the last twenty years. That's over half a million Russians. Actually,
this trend began in the 1950s, right after tyrant Josef Stalin died in
1953 and Russia began to trim the power of the secret police to keep
the peace in the Caucasus. The departure of ethnic Russians from the
Caucasus simply accelerated after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Russia had, over the last two centuries, encouraged ethnic Russians to
settle in the Caucasus in order to help maintain Russian control of
an often-hostile native population. With the collapse of the empire
(the Soviet Union) in 1991 there was no money left to subsidize the
ethnic Russians in the Caucasus. That, as much as the anti-Russian
attitudes of the natives, prompted most Russians to leave. Now the
Russian government is using an old solution to get more ethnic Russians
back into the Caucasus; it's sending in the Cossacks.
The Cossack people are ethnic Russians with a distinct language and
culture (not Russian) and strong ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.
There are about seven million Cossacks in Russia, Ukraine, and other
portions of the former Soviet Union. Their involvement in Russian
wars goes back centuries. During Tsarist times, Cossacks formed
special cavalry units in the Imperial Russian Army, as well serving
as instruments of state repression. The Russian Empire had a special
arrangement with the Cossacks whereby, in exchange for frontier land,
greater political autonomy, and special social status, Cossacks
contributed military forces to the Tsar, providing their own horses,
weapons, and equipment. Unique, exclusively Cossack military formations
have been a staple of Russian history in one way or another for many,
many centuries. Cossacks were notorious for their willingness to do
the czar's dirty work, especially in the Caucasus.
Opinions on the actual military value of Cossack units is widely
divided, as are opinions of the Cossacks themselves. At many points
in Russian military history, the Cossacks have proven themselves to
be determined and fierce, sometimes to the point of recklessness,
warriors, and there are examples of entire Cossack units fighting
to the death against impossible odds. During the Napoleonic Wars
and the French invasion of Russia in 1812, Cossack units, mostly
light cavalry, operated extremely effectively as scouts and raiders,
harassing the retreating French army mercilessly. Their performance
against regular troops in open battle was less than great, but then
that wasn't their role anyway.
On the other hand, Cossack units, from the days of Peter the Great
until modern time, have a well-deserved reputation for brutality,
anti-Semitism, and looting. They have always been notoriously difficult
to control, with Russian officers in past wars becoming frustrated
and enraged with drunken, mutinous Cossack soldiers. During the
Russian Civil War, Cossacks fought for both sides, especially for the
anti-Communist White forces, but they were often divisive, unreliable,
and preoccupied with looting and general destruction.
Also, many Russians regarded them as potential rebels, given their
unruly history, large numbers, and independent-minded spirit, and
those familiar with history know that for a two century period, every
major rebellion against the Russian Empire was led by Cossack troops.
During the Soviet period, Cossacks were among the many ill-treated
minorities, having their distinct culture and language suppressed by
the Communist authorities.
Since the 1990s Cossacks are once again involved in Russian conflicts.
In an effort to bolster national pride and recover some of the distinct
Russian heritage that was suppressed during 70 years of Soviet rule
Russia has officially brought back the formation of exclusively
Cossack military units, and in a big way. This has accompanied a
general explosion of Cossack culture in recent years.
Cossack military schools have been established, where student ages
10 to 17 attend classes in army fatigues and learn military tactics
alongside regular academic subjects. An entire Kuban Cossack Army,
headquartered in Krasnodar, has been established and is incorporated
as a unique, but fully integrated, part of the Russian Army. The
Russian Minister for Cossack Affairs, Gen. Gennady Troshev (until
his death in 2009) was a Cossack himself and had been instrumental
in the remilitarization of the Cossack society.
Irregular Cossack paramilitary units fought on the Russian/separatist
side in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, which saw South Ossetia taken
from Georgia and made a de facto part of Russia. Cossack volunteers
by the hundreds mobilized during the Georgian attack of South Ossetia
and crossed the border to engage Georgian forces. Cossacks in nearby
North Ossetia apparently organized a relatively efficient and rapid
system for clothing, equipping and transporting their paramilitaries
into the breakaway province to feed them into combat. Cossack fighters
entered South Ossetia by bus, having been issued combat uniforms and
gear on the way to the border, and were issued small arms and light
weapons once they arrived at the border. Cossack volunteers formed
the second major paramilitary force in the war, the first being the
South Ossetian militias. According to reports, the Cossack forces
fought with dogged determination.
Paramilitary forces and semi-standing armies of "volunteers",
of various ethnic and political lines, are a major part of armed
conflict in Russia and the former Soviet Union, particularly among
Slavic ethnicities. Such forces exist in disputed territories between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, where a majority of ethnic Armenians live in
the unrecognized Republic of Nogorno-Karabakh. The Nogorno-Karabakh
Defense Army is the formal defense force of the Nogorno-Karabakh
Republic. Similar forces exist in both breakaway republics of South
Ossetia and Azkaban.
The new Russian policy is to encourage, with cash investments and
monthly payments to adult Cossacks willing to undergo military
training, the establishment of Cossack communities in the Caucasus.
These towns and villages would be in touch with the surrounding
non-Cossack population and able, if there were problems with the
natives, to defend themselves until Russian reinforcements showed up.
That's a strategy that is centuries old and Russia sees it as
succeeding again. The Caucasus natives have a long-standing dislike for
the Cossacks, but at the same time fear and respect them, especially
when the Cossacks are acting as paramilitary forces.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20140507.aspx
From: Baghdasarian
Strategy Page
May 7 2014
May 7, 2014: Russia is suffering a major ethnic shift in the Caucasus.
Russians and other people not native to the Caucasus are being driven
out of the region by terrorism, corruption, and a bad attitude towards
outsiders. It's been worse in Chechnya, where Russians comprised 25
percent of the population in 1989, but only two percent today. The
decline has not been as great in the rest of the Caucasus, but it has
been massive, with more than half the Russian residents having left in
the last twenty years. That's over half a million Russians. Actually,
this trend began in the 1950s, right after tyrant Josef Stalin died in
1953 and Russia began to trim the power of the secret police to keep
the peace in the Caucasus. The departure of ethnic Russians from the
Caucasus simply accelerated after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Russia had, over the last two centuries, encouraged ethnic Russians to
settle in the Caucasus in order to help maintain Russian control of
an often-hostile native population. With the collapse of the empire
(the Soviet Union) in 1991 there was no money left to subsidize the
ethnic Russians in the Caucasus. That, as much as the anti-Russian
attitudes of the natives, prompted most Russians to leave. Now the
Russian government is using an old solution to get more ethnic Russians
back into the Caucasus; it's sending in the Cossacks.
The Cossack people are ethnic Russians with a distinct language and
culture (not Russian) and strong ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.
There are about seven million Cossacks in Russia, Ukraine, and other
portions of the former Soviet Union. Their involvement in Russian
wars goes back centuries. During Tsarist times, Cossacks formed
special cavalry units in the Imperial Russian Army, as well serving
as instruments of state repression. The Russian Empire had a special
arrangement with the Cossacks whereby, in exchange for frontier land,
greater political autonomy, and special social status, Cossacks
contributed military forces to the Tsar, providing their own horses,
weapons, and equipment. Unique, exclusively Cossack military formations
have been a staple of Russian history in one way or another for many,
many centuries. Cossacks were notorious for their willingness to do
the czar's dirty work, especially in the Caucasus.
Opinions on the actual military value of Cossack units is widely
divided, as are opinions of the Cossacks themselves. At many points
in Russian military history, the Cossacks have proven themselves to
be determined and fierce, sometimes to the point of recklessness,
warriors, and there are examples of entire Cossack units fighting
to the death against impossible odds. During the Napoleonic Wars
and the French invasion of Russia in 1812, Cossack units, mostly
light cavalry, operated extremely effectively as scouts and raiders,
harassing the retreating French army mercilessly. Their performance
against regular troops in open battle was less than great, but then
that wasn't their role anyway.
On the other hand, Cossack units, from the days of Peter the Great
until modern time, have a well-deserved reputation for brutality,
anti-Semitism, and looting. They have always been notoriously difficult
to control, with Russian officers in past wars becoming frustrated
and enraged with drunken, mutinous Cossack soldiers. During the
Russian Civil War, Cossacks fought for both sides, especially for the
anti-Communist White forces, but they were often divisive, unreliable,
and preoccupied with looting and general destruction.
Also, many Russians regarded them as potential rebels, given their
unruly history, large numbers, and independent-minded spirit, and
those familiar with history know that for a two century period, every
major rebellion against the Russian Empire was led by Cossack troops.
During the Soviet period, Cossacks were among the many ill-treated
minorities, having their distinct culture and language suppressed by
the Communist authorities.
Since the 1990s Cossacks are once again involved in Russian conflicts.
In an effort to bolster national pride and recover some of the distinct
Russian heritage that was suppressed during 70 years of Soviet rule
Russia has officially brought back the formation of exclusively
Cossack military units, and in a big way. This has accompanied a
general explosion of Cossack culture in recent years.
Cossack military schools have been established, where student ages
10 to 17 attend classes in army fatigues and learn military tactics
alongside regular academic subjects. An entire Kuban Cossack Army,
headquartered in Krasnodar, has been established and is incorporated
as a unique, but fully integrated, part of the Russian Army. The
Russian Minister for Cossack Affairs, Gen. Gennady Troshev (until
his death in 2009) was a Cossack himself and had been instrumental
in the remilitarization of the Cossack society.
Irregular Cossack paramilitary units fought on the Russian/separatist
side in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, which saw South Ossetia taken
from Georgia and made a de facto part of Russia. Cossack volunteers
by the hundreds mobilized during the Georgian attack of South Ossetia
and crossed the border to engage Georgian forces. Cossacks in nearby
North Ossetia apparently organized a relatively efficient and rapid
system for clothing, equipping and transporting their paramilitaries
into the breakaway province to feed them into combat. Cossack fighters
entered South Ossetia by bus, having been issued combat uniforms and
gear on the way to the border, and were issued small arms and light
weapons once they arrived at the border. Cossack volunteers formed
the second major paramilitary force in the war, the first being the
South Ossetian militias. According to reports, the Cossack forces
fought with dogged determination.
Paramilitary forces and semi-standing armies of "volunteers",
of various ethnic and political lines, are a major part of armed
conflict in Russia and the former Soviet Union, particularly among
Slavic ethnicities. Such forces exist in disputed territories between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, where a majority of ethnic Armenians live in
the unrecognized Republic of Nogorno-Karabakh. The Nogorno-Karabakh
Defense Army is the formal defense force of the Nogorno-Karabakh
Republic. Similar forces exist in both breakaway republics of South
Ossetia and Azkaban.
The new Russian policy is to encourage, with cash investments and
monthly payments to adult Cossacks willing to undergo military
training, the establishment of Cossack communities in the Caucasus.
These towns and villages would be in touch with the surrounding
non-Cossack population and able, if there were problems with the
natives, to defend themselves until Russian reinforcements showed up.
That's a strategy that is centuries old and Russia sees it as
succeeding again. The Caucasus natives have a long-standing dislike for
the Cossacks, but at the same time fear and respect them, especially
when the Cossacks are acting as paramilitary forces.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20140507.aspx
From: Baghdasarian