The Cossacks in the Kuban are part of the Russian Cossacks of the North Caucasus, inhabiting the territory today Krasnodar region, western part of the Stavropol Territory and south Rostov region, as well as the Republics of Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia.

The military headquarters of the Kuban Cossacks is the city of Krasnodar (formerly Ekaterinodar). The Kuban army was created in 1860, on the basis of the Black Sea Cossack army, adding to it parts of the Caucasian linear Cossack army, which were “stretched as unnecessary”, after the end of the Caucasian war.
Initially Cossack army It was governed by Koshevoy and Kuren atamans, then by assigned atamans, who were personally appointed by the Russian Emperor.
The military holiday is celebrated on September 12, the day of St. Alexander Nevsky.

Cossacks

Of course, in quantitative terms it is far from what it was before. Its ranks during the October Revolution and the subsequent Civil War, and before that the First World War, thinned significantly. According to the latest data contained in statistics, there are now 48 thousand Cossacks in Kuban, and taking into account their family members - just over 150 thousand. Today the Cossacks consist of eight departments, one district, 56 Cossack district societies, 486 primary societies.

Where does the name "Kuban Cossacks" come from?

From their habitats. And it is connected with great river Kuban, whose origins are in Karachay-Cherkessia. Melt water is one of seven highest peaks Elbrus is fed by the three largest rivers of the North Caucasus - Kuban, Malka and Baksan. By the way, Elbrus has other names - Mingi-Tau (Karachian - Balk), Oshkhamakho (Kabardian - Cherk.) - a stratovolcano in the Caucasus 5642 meters above sea level. The length of the Kuban River exceeds 870 kilometers. The area of ​​its basin is 57,900 square kilometers. It is fed by the rivers Laba, Akhtyr, Urup, Karasun, Psekups, Bolshoy Zelenchuk. And the Kuban River flows into the Sea of ​​Azov. Although she used to prefer the Black Sea, suddenly, in times distant from us, she abruptly changed its course and became friends with gray-haired Azov. And here it would be appropriate to say that the ancient Gorgippia, now the city of Anapa, benefited fantastically from the whim of the Kuban River. Its gold deposits stretch along the sea for as much as forty kilometers, which largely made it possible to declare the All-Russian health resort a family and children's resort.

So further about the Cossacks. Until 1917, the Kuban Cossack army united more than 1.3 million people in its ranks and was the second largest in Russia. In total, there were from 4.4 to 6 million Cossacks in the state. Of these, 1.5 million are Don; 589 thousand - Orenburg; 278 thousand - Terek. There were Cossacks in Semirechye (Kazakhstan) and even on the shores of the icy Sea of ​​Okhotsk in Kolyma. Another thing should be noted. Kuban is a historical region of the North Caucasus, gravitating towards the river of the same name and its tributaries. Since the Middle Ages, it belonged to the Nogai Horde, Circassia and the Crimean Khanate. In 1783 the picture changed dramatically. The Crimean Khanate was abolished, and Kuban came under the crown Russian Empire.

Gift of Catherine the Great

There were sovereigns in Russia who multiplied the lands of the state. Among them is Catherine the Second, whom the people called Great with special reverence. It was she who annexed Crimea, Taurida and Kuban to the empire. But it is one thing to increase the territory of a country, and another to inhabit new lands. Protect from the adversary enemy. Thanks to Catherine the Great, the Cossacks in the annexed lands were preserved. On June 30, 1792, the Empress signed a Charter granting the Black Sea (Zaporozhye) army the Kuban lands. For valiant service in last war with the Turks. That is, the Cossacks, in fact, legally received a deed of gift. A year later, military judge Anton Golovaty resettled forty smoking houses. The Zaporozhye regiments Timoshevsky, Rogovskoy Bryukhovetsky and Kanevsky were born. The Tsarina laid the foundations for the relationship between the Cossacks and the Russian Empire, and they practically survived until 1917. The Cossacks received the right to bear arms, the free spirit, freedom, and these were their privileges. Alas, after 1917 there were few hereditary Cossacks left. After the revolution, the Cossacks as an ethnic group were abolished, since many of its representatives fought on the side of the White Guard. Nevertheless, in Siberia, the Don and the Kuban, hereditary Cossacks, although in small numbers, still remained. The revival of the Cossacks began with them. In Kuban, in particular.

In gratitude to Catherine the Great

Let us recall that during her reign the so-called “Caucasian Line” was created - a network of fortresses for protection from the Crimean Tatars and highlanders. It is quite clear that the Cossacks lived in fortresses and performed military service. The center of this line was Ekaterinograd (Kabardino-Balkaria), founded by Prince Potemkin near the confluence of the Malka and Terek rivers. And this happened in 1783. And earlier there was the Catherine Fortress here. And the village is with her. In gratitude to the empress for the lands granted to the free Cossacks, they were united into Yekaterinograd. At the direction of the prince, a temple, administrative buildings and a palace for His Serene Highness were built in the new provincial center, a pompous arch that opened the road to Georgia. But in 1822, the status of the city was abolished, and the village acquired the name Ekaterinogradskaya. By the way, Griboyedov, Lermontov and Pushkin visited the fortress at one time. And in the current village in 2001, President V.V. Putin himself visited the Alexander Sergeevich Museum and other attractions. And by the way, the name of the settlement changed several times. In 1777 it was the Catherine Fortress. Since 1786 - Ekaterinograd, the capital of the Caucasian governorship of the Russian Empire in the North Caucasus. Since 1921, under Soviet rule - Krasnogradskaya. And in 1991, its historical name was returned - Yekaterinogradskaya. It is located sixteen kilometers from the regional center Prokhladny and 75 kilometers from the country’s famous city of Nalchik.

However, the Black Sea Cossacks remained very grateful to Catherine the Great for the favors bestowed and other initiatives in her honor. In 1792, by the will of the highest ranks, they founded another city on the right bank of the Kuban - Ekaterinodar (from the Gift of Catherine). True, he received his official status as a race on January 1, 1794. Ekaterinodar is conveniently located - there is little near the main Kuban river of the same name, but not so far from the two warm seas of Mother Russia; The Black Sea is 120 kilometers away from it, the Azov Sea is 140 kilometers away. For modern transport, this is mere nonsense. You can come to the seas on any weekend to relax. But with such a glorious name, the city existed for only 126 years. In 1920, the Bolsheviks renamed it Krasnodar, which today, in fact, is the southern capital of the state. It is 1300 kilometers away from Moscow. According to statistics, more than a million people live here today. But these statistics are not official yet. They tried to return it to Krasnodar former name. But many townspeople are strongly opposed to this. However, the issue has not been removed from the agenda.

From days past to today - The roots of the Cossacks from Ivan the Terrible

Before moving on to the modern flow of time, we will still indicate the roots of the current Cossacks on the scale of the state. The first mentions of the ethnic group date back to 1443-1444. And this is a segment of the era of Ivan the Terrible. The Cossacks helped Ryazan and the Moscow governors fight off the invasion of the Tatar prince Mustafa. And surprisingly, not on horseback, but on skis. And since 1549, for example, Don Cossacks, who then switched to a sedentary lifestyle, including in the Kuban, were recruited into the Moscow sovereign service. Since the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the Cossacks began to harass with their campaigns not only the Nogais in the Volga region, but also the Crimean Tatar uluses, as well as Turkish fortresses. They played an invaluable role in the Moscow campaigns against the Crimeans in the second half of 1550 and defeated the Crimean-Turkish invasion in 1572, where the Don ataman M. Cherkashin distinguished himself. Detachments of Don Cossacks took part in the fight against the Nogai horde and in the conquest of Kazan and Astrakhan. In many battles of the Livonian War, in the defense of Pskov. For service to the sovereign, they received monetary allowances, land under communal law, and sometimes personal land plots. When organizing guard and village service in 1571, they replaced boyar children in Ukrainian settlements, who were returned to the regiments. And a year earlier, Cossacks settled a lot on the Crimean border. It should be noted that the Moscow government of the time of Ivan the Terrible, in dealing with free Cossacks, as in the future era of Catherine the Great, showed tact and the ability to negotiate, but in some cases also showed a certain firmness. The state and, in particular, the Cossacks did a truly great, purposeful job of colonizing the territories to the east, south and southeast of the historical center of the Moscow state.

In subsequent centuries, the places of settlement of the Cossacks became more clearly defined. In fact, the Kuban Cossacks are part of an ethnic group that is amazing in its influence. In the North Caucasus. Specifically on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, the western part of the Stavropol Territory, the Rostov Region plus the Republic of Adygea and the Cossacks of Circassia. Mostly immigrants from Ukraine. The Cossack army was formed in 1860. Based on the Black Sea Cossack Army. 178 thousand souls of both sexes, including 866 peasants, plus the Caucasian linear Cossack army that joined - 269 souls of both sexes, including 665 peasants. But it was abolished upon completion Caucasian War. Let us remember that initially the army was controlled by the Koshevoy and Kurenny atamans. The Kuban region was divided into seven departments headed by atamans. At the head of the villages and farms there were elected atamans, approved by the atamans of the departments. Closer to our times, the administration of the Krasnodar Territory designated new date KKV celebrations - September 12, the Day of St. Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. The Kuban Cossack army historically consisted of several groups - the Black Sea Cossacks, line Cossacks and assigned Cossacks.

Cossacks today are not soldiers

Speaking about today, it is necessary to emphasize that now the Kuban Cossack Army is not a unit regular army as it was in the past. And a Cossack is not a soldier. But not a commercial organization, a society that includes in its structure lower-level Cossack societies - departments, district, district, primary: city, village, farm. And let us emphasize that all the Cossacks are their members in the primary Cossack societies.
Let us remind you once again that the current Kuban Cossack army consists of eight departments, one Cossack district, there are 56 regional Cossack societies, 486 primary societies and a total of 48 thousand Cossacks plus wives, children, and grandchildren. Total 150 thousand. Let's name the departments - Labinsky, Yeisk, Caucasian, Taman, Maikop, Ekaterinodar, Batalpashinsky (Karachay-Cherkessia). To them we must add the Special Sukhumi Department.

Plus the Black Sea Cossack district consisting of seven RKOs - Adler, Khosta, Central Sochi, Lazorevskoye, Tuapse, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk. The Sukhumi special department is located on the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia.

What are modern Kuban Cossacks doing?

Their range of responsibilities is very wide. For example, maintaining public order. Together with the police (we often see patrols on our streets). There is a patrol service. Cossacks participate in protecting the state border. They actively combat drug trafficking. Engaged in environmental activities. The fight against poaching. Help in eliminating the consequences natural Disasters. Preparing young Cossacks for military service. Military field training is organized annually for the Kuban Cossacks.
Their task includes painstaking work with young people - patriotic, spiritual, moral education based on Cossack traditions, customs, culture. Work on their revival and preservation. Kuban Cossacks work closely with the Russian Orthodox Church. By the media. They are also characterized by their activities in the international arena.
The highest official of the Kuban Cossacks is the military ataman. Since 2007, he has been the Cossack general Nikolai Aleksandrovich Doluda.

Open air museum - "Ataman"

It’s true what they say: “It’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times!” How did the Kuban Cossacks live and what did they do before? A very clear and convincing answer to the question is given by the Ataman tourist ethnographic complex. Situated on as many as 60 hectares. On the shore of the Taman Bay. Operating since 2009. In fact, this is a life-size Cossack village. It has several streets and 51 courtyards. And even Baba Yaga's courtyard. And what - in the fairy tales of the Cossacks this character is also present! There is a chapel. Yarmorochnaya Square. The huts of a priest, a shoemaker, a potter, a fisherman. And you won’t see anything in the courtyards - antique spinning wheels, sewing machines, irons, kerosene lamps, pottery machines, grips, home mills, cradles, embroidered down and other pillows. True, it will take six hours to explore the museum, well, you can quickly do it in three. Cossack festivals are held in Atamani - with songs, dances, playing folk instruments. And you won't have to go hungry here. They will also feed you delicious rich Cossack borscht, dumplings with with different fillings, other dishes and a glass of vodka will certainly be presented. Walk with the free Cossacks and Cossack women!

It was formed in 1860 from the Black Sea Cossack army and the Caucasian linear Cossack army. Military holiday of the Kuban Cossacks on September 12 - the Day of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky.

Empress Catherine II in 1792 allowed the Cossacks to move to Kuban. Every year on the anniversary of the landing of the first Cossacks on Taman. The Kuban Cossacks were a free militarized agricultural population. The army was controlled by the Kosh and Kuren atamans, later control was transferred to the assigned atamans, who were appointed by the Russian emperor. At the head of the villages and farms were elected atamans, who were approved by the atamans of the departments. By the beginning of the reign of Nicholas II, the Kuban region was divided into seven parts.

The second half of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries was the heyday of the Cossacks. The Cossacks have large land plots and have different administration from other Russian provinces. At that time in Russia there were 11 Cossack troops numbering 4.5 million people. The largest are the Don, Kuban and Terek troops.

Cossacks actively participated in all wars Russia XVIII-XIX centuries and in the Great Patriotic War. During the Civil War and in the first ten years after it, the Bolsheviks pursued a policy of decossackization, aimed at eliminating the Cossacks as a class, social and cultural community. This resulted in repression, the burning of villages, taking hostages, and the resettlement of the poor to lands that previously belonged to the Cossacks. The establishment of Soviet power in the Don and Kuban went along with the seizure of local government, arrests, executions, murders, and robberies. The memorandum of the Regional Rada states that in the spring-autumn of 1918, 24 thousand people died in the Kuban. Some Cossacks retreated to Crimea and from there moved abroad.

The revival of the Cossacks began in the 1990s. Then they began to actively awaken Cossack self-awareness and form a government from among the hereditary Cossacks. The decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On the State Register of Cossack Societies” in 1995 gave the revival of the Cossacks an organized character. IN Krasnodar region Cossacks began to actively participate in administration, the ataman became deputy head of the administration, and the Kuban Cossack army received financial support. On October 12, 1990, the All-Kuban Founding Congress of Cossacks was held at the Krasnodar Regional Philharmonic. In December 2005, the law “On Civil Service” was adopted Russian Cossacks».

In 2006, the main military temple of the Kuban Cossacks, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, was restored in Krasnodar. It is located at the intersection of Krasnaya and Postovaya streets. The former military cathedral was blown up in 1932 by decision of the city council of workers, peasants, Cossacks and Red Army deputies; then it was located at the intersection of Krasnaya and Sobornaya (Lenin) streets.

Structure and management

The ataman leads the army.

The first ataman of the Kuban Cossack army was from 1860 to 1861 Count Nikolai Evdokimov. The first chieftain after the revival of the army in 1990 was Vladimir Gromov. Since February 2008, this post has been held by the Cossack general, deputy governor of the Krasnodar Territory Nikolai Doluda.

The modern army consists of Cossack departments: Batalpashinsky, Yeisk, Ekaterinodar, Caucasian, Labinsky, Maikop, Taman, Black Sea districts and the Abkhazian special Cossack department.

Film "Parade Regiment: Return to Red Square"

The film “Parade Reckoning: Return to Red Square” tells about the six-month preparation of hundreds of Cossacks of the Kuban Cossack Army for the anniversary Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.

For the Cossacks of the Krasnodar Territory, this is a great honor and responsibility: for the first time, the Cossacks had to repeat the path of their ancestors, who 70 years ago took to the square during the first military Victory Parade in June 1945.

From the first training to the night and dress rehearsal in Moscow: the film crew of the Kuban 24 channel accompanied the Cossacks during every stage of preparation.

Special report: Cossack education in the Krasnodar region

In October 2014, the Kuban 24 TV channel aired a special report on the development of Cossack education in the Krasnodar Territory.

Kuban Cossacks today

Cossacks actively participate in various spheres of life in the Krasnodar region. They are the streets, together with the police they maintain law and order in mass events and scale, . Since July 2014, additional Cossack squads can independently patrol the streets without police officers. Cossacks guarded the event in Sochi in 2014 and 2015.

The only Cossack post in Russia is located in Krasnodar. During the warm season, every Sunday in the center of the regional capital, the Cossacks hold a guard of honor ceremony, “The Hour of Glory of Kuban.”

Since 2007, the Cossacks have been holding three-day military training camps. In 2015, they were in the Abinsk region and gathered 1.5 thousand people. Then the governor of Kuban, Veniamin Kondratiev, created a training center for Cossack youth in the municipality. This is not the only example of Cossacks working with young people - there are Cossack classes in Krasnodar schools; in 2015, at City Day, there were 332 first-graders in Cossacks. In the Seversky district in the summer there is a Cossack weekend camp. In the Vyselkovsky district in July 2015, the final of the army tournament hand-to-hand combat among Cossack youth.

Kuban Cossacks take part in intercity and international events, such as the equestrian Cossacks of the south of Russia, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

A hundred Kuban Cossack troops led by the ataman in 2015 participated in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow for the first time in 70 years. In Krasnodar, April 25 marks the anniversary of the adoption of the law “On the Rehabilitation of Repressed Peoples.” According to tradition, a large Cossack parade takes place on this day.

For the long-term development of the Kuban Cossack troops and in 2015, more than 1 billion rubles from the budget. In addition, according to amendments to the country’s Land Code, the Cossacks now have the right to obtain land for agricultural production without bidding.

In 1775, free Cossacks Zaporozhye Sich decided to submit to the Russian Empire. This is how the Kuban Cossacks appeared, which today remain faithful to the oath given at the end of the 18th century.

At the same time, by order of Empress Catherine II, all the settlements of the Zaporozhye Cossacks were destroyed, and the word “Sich” itself was forbidden to be uttered.

Some of the free Cossacks went to Turkey, where the “New Sich” was created. But not all Cossacks went to “foreign shores”; many decided to serve Russia officially, receiving salaries and land for this.

Little Russia needed people who would guard the empty Black Sea border. One of the first to advocate the creation of a new Cossack army was Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky.

The empress's favorite called the Cossacks to serve. From their number the Black Sea Cossack Army was formed. Soon, the Cossacks, led by Sidor Bely, Zakhary Chepega and Anton Golovaty, distinguished themselves in the war with Turkey: they took Izmail and Ochakov.

For courage and devotion Black Sea Cossacks granted new lands in Taman. The rescript of Empress Catherine II said: “The army of the faithful Black Sea Cossacks was granted the island of Phanagoria with the lands between the Kuban and the Sea of ​​Azov.” The reward was also a military banner with the inscription “For Faith and Loyalty” and the right to trade in wine and goods.

From that time on, the Cossacks said goodbye to Ukraine forever. More than 20,000 thousand Cossacks arrived in Kuban and began colonization. Dozens of villages were built, which the Black Sea residents called kurens. The newborn capital was christened in honor of the Empress - Ekaterinodar.

On the territory of the Black Sea Cossacks there also lived the Khopersky and Line Cossacks. They, like the Cossacks, were sent here to settle empty lands and protect the border.

The Black Sea Army had its own flotilla, consisting of frigates, longboats, yachts and boats. Fame came to them in 1811, when the hundred of guards became famous for their feat near Leipzig.

The Black Sea people took part in the wars against Turkey, suppressed the Polish uprising, and had to fight a lot in the Caucasian War. A long and bloody war with the mountaineers required establishing control over the conquered territories. By the end of the war, a decision was made to divide the Caucasian Cossack line and create two troops - Terek and Kuban.

In 1860, the Kuban Cossack Army began its history, to which the Black Sea Army was added. Major General Nikolai Ivanov was appointed the first ataman. The seniority of the army has been considered since 1896. It was then that the Khopersky regiment was formed from the Don Cossacks, which later became part of the Kuban army.

A new Cossack army was formed from the Zaporozhye and Linear Cossacks, which was located on the territory of the modern Krasnodar Territory, part of the Stavropol Territory, Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia.

Kuban Cossacks took part in all the wars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For their military services, they more than once received awards from the hands of the emperors themselves. But Cossack duties extended not only to military service, but also to road repairs, maintenance of post stations and village buildings, and much more. As a reward for all this trouble, a land allotment of 7 to 9 dessiatines was given.

But the Kuban people were not proud of wealth, silver and gold. The Cossacks were famous for their valor and courage, and their army was famous for their centuries-old traditions and culture. “I didn’t drink Kuban water - I didn’t eat Cossack porridge,” they said, reminding that the Cossacks are a way of life where honor and loyalty were above all.

By the beginning of the Civil War, the Kuban Cossack army numbered about 1.5 million people. During revolutionary times, the Kuban people sided with the White movement.

In 1920, tens of thousands of Cossacks, led by Ataman Naumenko, were forced to emigrate. But the descendants of the Cossacks still live in the Krasnodar region, trying to revive the glory of the Kuban army. Devoted to their land, people to this day sing a song dedicated to Kuban:

I remember you here,
Shouldn't I stand up for you?
Is it for your old glory?
Shouldn't I give my life?
We, as a tribute to our humble,
From illustrious banners
We send you, dear Kuban,
Bow to the damp earth.

The art of war has always been a fairly significant part of the life of many nations and states. After all, as soon as a person picked up a stick, he began to use his strength to subjugate his own kind. This negative love of violence has haunted humanity throughout history. This fact led to the emergence in each nationality of a separate class of warriors, distinguished by professionalism and ruthlessness.

It should be noted that similar warlike castes also existed on the territory of the Slavic states. The history of their formation is quite interesting, considering the fact that in the territory modern Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries there were constant wars for territorial dominance between different states. Thus, constant military conflicts have significantly hardened the population living in the countries represented.

Speaking specifically about Russian Federation, then in this state the most famous military community are the Kuban Cossacks. The creation of this army took years, and their activities are still alive today.

The article will examine the most striking stages in the development of the Kuban Cossacks, as well as the specifics of this military formation.

Who are the Kuban Cossacks?

The history of the Kuban Cossack army goes back to very distant times. Today, it is quite difficult to imagine the entire chronology of the existence of this military formation, since it still operates on the territory of the Russian Federation, which will be discussed later in the article. However, if you consider historical facts, then the Kuban Cossack Army is part of the entire Cossacks in the Russian Empire, which was based in the North Caucasus. In other words, this formation played the role of modern border guards.

From historical sources it is known that the military headquarters of the Kuban Cossacks was based in Yekaterinodar (the modern name of the city is Krasnodar). Despite the fact that the Kuban Cossack Army was a typical military group, one of the elements of the army of the Russian Empire, its own ethnic group was formed on its basis. This fact today allows us to talk about the Cossacks not just as warriors, but as a separate nationality, along with Russians, Chechens, Kazakhs, etc.

History of creation

The Cossacks of the Kuban Cossack Army were not initially a homogeneous ethnic mass of patriots of their state. After all, as stated earlier, the history of the creation of this formation is quite complex. The Kuban Cossack army was formed from several groups of Cossacks, of whom there were quite a lot on the territory of the Russian Empire by the middle of the 18th century.

Of course, the Zaporozhye Cossacks, who appeared back in the 16th century, should rightfully be considered the ancestors of the Cossack regiments of Kuban. As we know, they were originally based on the territory of modern Ukraine, which is located near the modern city of Zaporozhye. Subsequently, they became a threat to imperial power, because from an organized military formation they turned into ordinary bandit groups. Therefore, by the end of the 18th century, the Cossacks as such received the status of “outside the law.” However, this fact did not become the final point in the development of such formations.

Black Sea Cossacks

In 1774, the Russian Empire gained access to the Black Sea. At this stage, Turkey ceased to pose a threat, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the most powerful states in the west, was on the verge of complete collapse. Therefore, the need to keep the Cossacks in their historical place was no longer required. In addition, these formations began to turn into gangster structures by the end of the 18th century. Confirmation of this fact is the support by the Cossacks of the Pugachev uprising. Thus, in 1775, a decision was made to completely destroy all its inhabitants. Only 12 thousand Cossacks were able to survive this massacre, who subsequently fled to the mouth of the Danube.

Army of loyal Cossacks

It should be noted that the emergence of the Transdanubian Sich became a powerful argument for Turkey, which acquired additional forces consisting of 12 thousand soldiers. In turn, the Russian Empire, seeing a threat to its territorial interests in the south of the state, stops the process of eliminating the Cossacks. Moreover, in 1787 he created the Army of the Loyal Cossacks from among the previously persecuted members of the regiments of the same name. With their help, the Russian Empire not only strengthened in the south, but also won the Russian-Turkish campaign of 1787-1792.

Creation of the Kuban Cossacks

The Kuban Cossack Army, photos of which are presented in the article, was formed in 1792. After the Russian-Turkish campaign, a delegation was sent to the capital of the Russian Empire, headed by the judge of the Black Sea Army, Anton Golovaty. The delegation was assembled in order to ask the “enlightened monarchy” for land to resettle the Black Sea Cossacks. Negotiations took place from March to May 1792. The “leadership” of the empire did not want to allocate the surroundings of Taman and the lands on the right bank of the Kuban to the Cossacks. In this case, the position of the imperial authorities was clear - the reluctance to create a formation similar to the Cossacks, which could betray at any moment. However, agreement was still reached. Thus, from 1792, the regiments of the Kuban Cossack army began to be located on the territory of Taman and Kuban. These lands were transferred to them “for eternal and hereditary possession,” which is generally confirmed by the existence of the Kuban Cossacks today.

History of linear Cossacks

It should be noted that the Kuban Cossack army was formed not only exclusively from the Black Sea Cossacks. The Kuban regiments also included the so-called "linear Cossacks", who became part of a large military formation in 1860. However, the history of the Caucasian linear Cossack army begins in the middle of the 15th century. The ancestor of the linear regiments were the Khoper Cossacks.

History of the Khoper regiments

Khoper Cossacks lived in the territory of Medveditsa since 1444. But in the 18th century, these regiments launched an uprising against the power of Peter I. The monarch’s reaction was immediate and cruel.

In the period from 1708 to 1716, virtually no one lived in the areas between these rivers. However, since 1716, Cossack regiments that were participants in the Northern War have returned here. For their military valor during the war with Sweden, the Khoper Cossacks were allowed to build their fortress in their historical homeland. Subsequently, the army developed so much that part of it was transferred to North Caucasus to protect the borders of the Russian Empire. And in 1860, as mentioned earlier, this part of the Cossack army was transferred to the Kuban military formation.

The current stage of development of the Kuban Cossacks

The Kuban Cossack army exists to this day in the territories that were allocated to them at the end of the 18th century. This military formation plays the role of secret border guards. It should be noted that the Kuban Cossacks were participants in the First World War and the Great Patriotic War. Last historical period, which began in 1945, significantly abolished the role of the Cossacks in the sphere of public administration and service. Nevertheless, no one disbanded this formation, even taking into account the political doctrine of the Soviet Union.

The atamans of the Kuban Cossack army, throughout the history of its existence, defended with all their might the rights of their people, who by 1945 could already be called a completely separate ethnic group. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cossack communities were united on the territory of the Russian Federation in order to enhance the identity and glorify the ethnic minorities of the state. Since that time, there has been such an organization as the Kuban Military Cossack Society (KVKO).

KVKO

KVKO begins its history in 1990. The first chieftain of this military organization was Vladimir Gromov. It should be noted that the combat effectiveness of KVKO units is at a fairly high level. This is confirmed by the participation of the mentioned organization in the Abkhazian war. In 1993, KVKO units were the first to enter the city of Sukhum. Later, the Kuban Cossack Army was included in the “State Register of Cossack Societies of the Russian Federation.” This means that the activities of KVKO have become legal. In addition, there are the regalia of the Kuban Cossack army and a unique structure of society. Today, the organization plays the role of more of a law enforcement agency than a military agency.

Territorial structure of KVKO

The Kuban military Cossack society has its own territorial structure, which allows us to talk about the significant development of not only the organization as a whole, but also its activities. Today, the structure of the KVKO consists of the following territorial units:

1. Eyey Cossack department.
2. Caucasian Cossack department.
3. Taman Cossack department.
4. Ekaterinodar Cossack department.
5. Maikop Cossack department.
6. Batalpashinsky Cossack department.
7. Black Sea Cossack district.
8. Sukhumi special Cossack department.

This structure allows KVKO to carry out its law enforcement functions much more efficiently and as quickly as possible.

Culture of the Kuban Cossacks

In addition to their significant role in the military sector of the Russian Federation, the Kuban Cossacks are quite an interesting ethnic social education. Its cultural traditions go back to the Zaporizhian Cossacks. Kuban warriors are quite close in cultural matters to the native Ukrainians. There is also a Cossack uniform of the Kuban Cossack Army, the design of which was also formed historically.

The article presented the Kuban Cossack army. The origins of the formation and structure of this organization go back to the time of the existence of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, who, in fact, became the ancestors of the Kuban army. This ethnic formation is still active on the territory of modern Russia. Let's hope this island Slavic culture will not be lost in the abyss of centuries!

In recent decades, the issue of the history of the Cossacks has attracted widespread attention from scientists, historiographers, political scientists, government agencies, and the public. This once closed topic in our country has recently received a huge surge. Scientific conferences are held, monographic studies are published, and countless articles and publications are published. The works of pre-revolutionary historians, as well as works published abroad by representatives of the Cossack emigration, also became available. And if the heyday of the Cossacks, its role in the history and fate of Russia in the 17th century - 19th centuries found the most complete reflection, although there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of eliminating the negative stereotype of the Cossack that developed during the Soviet period, the most ancient period of the history of the Cossacks, its formation, has been studied to the least extent.

In Russian, Soviet, and foreign historiography, three approaches to determining the origins of the formation of the Cossacks can be distinguished.
1). Some pre-revolutionary researchers, as well as Cossacks abroad, trace the process of formation of the Cossacks to the pre-Christian period and even say that the Cossacks are older than the Etruscans, who founded Rome. In their assumptions, researchers who defend this point of view refer to etymological data, sometimes drawing conclusions about the genetic connection of the Cossacks with Turkic peoples, inhabited the Caucasus and southern steppes.
2). Noble and Soviet historiography connects the origins of the formation of the Cossacks with the establishment of serfdom in the country and that runaway peasants were the fertile force on which the Cossacks grew. At the same time, the fact that in Russian chronicles the Cossacks are mentioned much earlier than feudal and serfdom relations arose in the country is not taken into account at all.
3). Today, one thing is certain, that the Cossacks were formed on a Slavic, Orthodox basis in the 4th - 5th centuries AD during the so-called migration of peoples - a process in which German, Turkic and Slavic tribes were involved. The most active zone through which the movement of peoples took place was the northern Black Sea region and the South Russian steppes. The appearance of the Slavs in the South Russian steppes dates back to the 4th century. There is no doubt that, under the influence of the Slavic population staying here, Prince Svyatoslav managed to make a campaign to the Khazar Kaganate and Taman. Somewhere to 7th century refers to the adoption of Christianity by the Cossacks, long before the official baptism of Rus'. Subsequently, the presence of the Slavic population in these territories led to the creation of the Tmutarakan principality, which was part of Slavic Rus'. In the subsequent period, the South Russian Slavs, cut off from the metropolis, being the indigenous people of this territory, experienced raids by nomads, both Polovtsians and Tatars. Carrying out military functions in the Golden Horde, the Cossacks never broke with Orthodoxy, which determined the need to create a Slavic diocese to satisfy the spiritual needs of the Slavic population. The struggle for survival in the hostile environment of the disunited Slavic population determined the need to form a military structure as a form of existence for the people, with an elected leader.

There is no doubt that the Cossack population and army, as a form of its existence, included non-Slavic peoples and elements, and this determined the formation of the term Cossack. However, due to the fact that the life of the Cossack communities, and then the army, was built according to the commandments of the Lord, the willingness of everyone to come to the rescue of their neighbor was required, and sometimes to sacrifice their lives, and this required from everyone, including those who had arrived to some no matter what ethnic group they belong to, the adoption of Orthodoxy. This was not only a guarantee of unity, cohesion, mutual assistance and heroism, but also the spiritual salvation of all members of the community.

Initially, two branches of the Cossacks were formed, which later became Don and Zaporozhye, depending on the sphere of interests of which states they fell into, although the Cossacks themselves were sometimes located outside state territories.

The emergence of the Crimean Khanate after the collapse of the Golden Horde, the strengthening of the Ottoman Empire, and the capture of Constantinople in the mid-15th century created a real threat to the Christian Slavic states. But the conquests and raids of the Turks and Crimean Tatars they met Cossacks on their way, who, in fact, were a hedge for both Russia and Poland. The Cossacks covered the Russian and Ukrainian population. It was from this time that the Cossacks became widely known in European countries and Russia.

Moscow princes and kings, as well as the rulers of Poland, which included Ukraine, in their fight against the Islamic conquerors, sought to rely on the Cossacks, paying them salaries in gunpowder and provisions. Both the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks, creating a threat to Ottoman civilization, waging a constant struggle for their ancestral lands (and the Cossacks were the old-time population here) were outside state territory. Therefore, business relations between the Muscovite kingdom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the Cossacks were conducted through the embassy order. Against the background of the beginning of the process of enslavement of the peasants, the presence of such a freedom-loving center as the Zaporozhye Sich and the lands of the Don Cossacks was attractive to those serfs who sought to escape from bondage. That is why the process of replenishing the Cossacks with fugitive elements began. But by this time the Cossacks had formed both structurally and spiritually, with their own life principles, military life, elements of culture and psychology. In this connection, no matter how many fugitives came to the army, they dissolved in it, losing everything they had and acquiring the qualities of a Cossack. This is how the Cossack type was formed, a genetic type that absorbs aliens, no matter what religion they are.

Since the middle of the 17th century, we can talk about constant contacts between the Cossacks and the state and the transition of the Cossacks to the service. But this did not exclude the fact that the Cossacks, Zaporozhye or Don, did not pursue their own policy towards neighboring peoples. Often the actions of the Cossacks ran counter to the policies of the Russian state.

IN to the greatest extent the process of incorporating Cossack troops into the state territory of Russia and their transition to public service associated with the activities of Peter the Great. Since 1722, Cossack issues were dealt with not by the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, as it was before, but by the Military Collegium. Peter I sought to subordinate everything and everyone to state power, including the Russian Orthodox Church. He could not allow the existence of the willful and unbridled Cossacks. Moreover, the Cossack lands were already included in the Russian Empire.

The liquidation of Cossack liberties and the transfer of Cossack lands throughout the 18th century caused a constant movement of the peasantry, whose skirmishers were the Cossacks.

The state was interested in using the military experience of the Cossacks, accumulated over centuries and so lacking in Russia. Cossack troops have always fielded a military contingent distinguished by particular endurance, courage and assertiveness in achieving victory over the enemy, who often outnumbered the Cossacks. Cossack regiments were formed on a territorial basis, and this played a very important role in achieving the cohesion and courage of soldiers.

The state built its relations with the Cossacks on the principle of the military-feudal system. The state, owning the land, allocated lands to the Cossack troops on the condition that they performed military service. Land for a Cossack and a Cossack family was a decisive factor. Moreover, it does not matter at what historical stage the Cossack economy was located (natural trades, such as hunting and fishing, or agricultural production). Military lands provided a habitat for the Cossacks.

The Russian Empire, like other states, expanded its possessions. Starting from the 18th century, the state, understanding the role and importance of the Cossacks in ensuring the security of Russia’s borders, actively involved the Cossacks in the economic development of new territories. The process of forming new Cossack troops begins through the resettlement of existing ones. This process lasted more than 100 years. The constant relocation of Cossacks carried out by the state led to the fact that not a single generation lived on its territory for more than 25 years. This is how the Volga army arose, which subsequently moved to the Caucasus. The Terek family army, the Astrakhan army, the Black Sea, Orenburg, Siberian, and Amur armies were also a consequence of the state policy of settling Cossacks along the borders. In parallel to this, there was a process of free people's colonization of the lands transferred to the Cossacks.

Since the 17th century, i.e. Since the creation of the centralized Russian state, Russia has pursued a policy aimed at creating the isolation of each social group, in relation to each other. This was expressed most clearly in the 18th century. All Russian society was divided into classes. The Cossacks in this case were no exception, although if we talk about cultural and ethnic processes, then from the very beginning until the defeat, two processes took place simultaneously in it, which defined the Cossacks as the only and unique phenomenon in history. On the one hand, the state in every possible way implanted class into the Cossacks, defining it as a service class, emphasizing this factor more and more. This gave the state the opportunity to interfere in the life of the Cossack troops, resettle and abolish them. On the other hand, ethnic processes and the isolation of the cultural sphere, which was formed under the influence of neighboring peoples, were just as strong. This is how the customs, law, costumes, culture and self-awareness of the Cossacks were formed. Therefore, having gone through the crucible of trials at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Cossacks survived precisely as an ethnic group.

To the greatest extent, ethnic processes took place in the Don, Kuban and Terek Cossack armies, each of which was distinguished by its unique culture and identity. The Kuban and Terek troops (the so-called Caucasian) stood out especially. Their culture developed under the influence of the Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks, as well as under the great influence of the culture of neighboring mountain peoples. By the beginning of the twentieth century, these troops were actual ethnic groups, and closed ones, since there was no longer an influx of outsiders into the troops from outside, and they represented an integral part of the North Caucasian civilization.

Formation and development of the Kuban Cossack army

The Kuban Cossacks, as an independent ethnosocial unit (subethnos), was formed in the second half of the 19th century. The formal date of the emergence of this subethnic group can be considered November 19, 1860, the time of the formation of the Kuban Cossack army. It should be noted that initially the name “Kuban Cossacks” was applied to various groups of Cossacks (for example, Nekrasovites) who settled in the Kuban at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries, but was not yet a self-name.

The Kuban Cossacks are multi-ethnic at their core. In Kuban, two components acted as the initial ethnic-defining principles - Russian and Ukrainian, and in the peculiar organizational form of the Cossack troops. Therefore, it is advisable to analyze their history separately.

During the initial period Russian-Turkish war 1787–1791 under the patronage of Prince G.A. Potemkin, the Black Sea Cossack Army was formed. Initially, it was staffed in the form of volunteer teams of Cossacks who had previously served in the Zaporozhye Sich. But, due to the small number of former Cossacks, representatives of different social strata of Russian society received access to the army as early as October 1787.

In 1792–1794 The Black Sea Cossack army was resettled to the Right Bank Kuban. And it is from this moment that it is generally accepted that the Cossacks began to develop the Kuban lands. However, the number of troops turned out to be insufficient to protect the border and economic development of this region. Therefore, the Russian government organized a three-stage resettlement of Ukrainian peasants (more than 100 thousand people) from Poltava, Chernigov and Kharkov provinces to Kuban.

The second branch is the formation of a Russian ethnographic group in the form of the Caucasian linear Cossack army. In 1794, resettled to Kuban Don Cossacks founded several villages up the Kuban River from the Ust-Labinsk fortress and formed the Kuban Cossack regiment. In 1801–1804 A number of Cossack villages in the Kuban were founded by the Cossacks of the Ekaterinoslav Cossack Army, thus forming the Caucasian Cossack Regiment. And in 1825, Khopersky’s Cossacks were resettled to the Kuban line Cossack regiment. Further, by the Highest order of June 25, 1832, six linear regiments and three Cossack troops were united into the Caucasian linear Cossack army.

By decree of Emperor Alexander II on February 8, 1860, the right wing of the Caucasian line was transformed into the Kuban region, and the left wing on November 19, 1860 into the Terek region.

The Black Sea Cossack army was ordered to be called the Kuban Cossack army. In addition to the Black Sea troops, it included the first six brigades of the Caucasian linear Cossack army. The remaining brigades made up the Terek Cossack Army.

From this moment, the countdown of the existence of the Kuban Cossack army begins precisely from the date of its foundation.

However, the seniority of the Kuban Cossack army is usually considered to be based on the seniority of the oldest of the regiments that were part of the Caucasian linear Cossack army - Khopersky, namely from 1696.

Thus, there are three dates for the seniority of the formation of the Kuban Cossack army: 1696 - according to the seniority of the Khoper Cossack regiment of the Caucasian linear Cossack army, which later became part of the Kuban Cossack army; 1792 - from the moment of resettlement of the Black Sea Cossacks to Kuban; 1860 - from the moment of the unification of the Black Sea Cossack army and some parts of the Caucasian linear Cossack army and the formation of the Kuban Cossack army.

Before the unification, the number of the Black Sea Cossack army was about 180 thousand people. Almost 100 thousand people entered the Kuban Cossack army from the Caucasian linear Cossack army. According to the annual report for 1862, there were 195,636 men and 189,814 women in the Kuban Cossack army.

By July 1, 1914, the population of the army was already 1,298,088 people (644,787 men and 635,351 women).

The Cossacks actively participated in all wars of Russia in the 18th - 19th centuries. He gained particular popularity in the wars aimed at protecting Christianity and Orthodoxy, waged by Russia in Europe and the Caucasus. The memory of the valor of the Cossacks is still alive among the peoples protected by the Cossacks. In these wars, the Cossacks showed themselves as defenders of Christianity and Orthodoxy, only now not independently, but on behalf of the Russian Empire.

The procedure for completing military service was initially not regulated by any legislative acts. Service was not limited to a certain number of years. The period of active cordon service was set at one year, followed by two years of benefits. In 1818, a certain service life was established - 25 years. In 1856, by order of the Minister of War, new terms of service were established: officers - 22 years, Cossacks - 25 years (22 years of field service and 3 years of internal service). Since 1864, the term of field service was 15 years, internal - 7 years.

In 1882, the Regulations on military service. The military personnel are divided into three categories: preparatory, combat, and reserve. Cossacks were enrolled in the preparatory school for 3 years (from 18 to 21 years old). In combat – 12 years (from 21 to 33 years). Cossacks were in the reserve category for 5 years (from 33 to 38 years). After this, the Cossacks retired and were exempted from serving military service.

As a result of the unification of the two troops, the military composition of the Kuban Cossack Army in 1861 included: units - 42, generals - 47, staff officers - 84, chief officers - 652, non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers - 2460, ordinary Cossacks - 32071 .

According to the regulations on conscription of the Kuban Cossack army in 1870, its composition in peacetime looked like this: 2 Life Guards Kuban Cossack squadrons of His Own Imperial Majesty convoy, 10 cavalry regiments, 2 Plastun foot battalions, 5 horse artillery batteries, a cavalry division in Warsaw and a training division. The regiments were named: Tamansky, Poltava, Ekaterinodar, Umansky, Urupsky, Labinsky, Khopersky, Kubansky, Caucasian, Yeisk.

The total military composition of the lower ranks was determined to be 36,000 people.

In May 1889, the 1st Black Sea Regiment was formed in the army.

In 1860–1864 The actions of the Kuban Cossacks as part of separate detachments of troops of the Kuban region played an important role in ending the many years of the Caucasian War. During the unrest in Poland in 1863–1864. Kuban residents took part in hostilities against the rebels. The Cossacks also performed difficult service on the borders with Turkey and Iran. The Kuban Cossack Army deployed significant forces during the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–1878: 25 cavalry regiments, 12 Plastun foot battalions, 5 horse-artillery batteries and 2 hundreds of imperial convoys. One cavalry regiment and two hundred Plastuns were sent to the Balkans, 14 regiments, one Plastun battalion and four batteries were sent to the Caucasus-Asia Minor theater of military operations, the rest were located within the Kuban region and the Black Sea province.

In the 70-80s. XIX century Kuban residents took part in a number of Central Asian campaigns. In 1879, separate hundreds of the 1st Taman, 1st Poltava and Labinsk cavalry regiments as part of the Transcaspian detachment took part in a campaign to the Ahal-Tekin oasis.

Three hundred Caucasian regiment as part of the Murghab detachment took part in battles with Afghans on the banks of the river. Kushki.

For participation in Russian-Japanese war 1904–1905 In the Kuban Cossack army, the 1st Yekaterinodar, 1st Uman regiments, six secondary Plastun battalions and the 1st Kuban Cossack battery were mobilized. Despite the fact that the Cossacks arrived at the theater of operations in the final period of the war, they participated in a number of operations and their irretrievable losses in just over three months amounted to 116 people.

At the beginning of the First World War, the Kuban Cossack Army fielded 33 cavalry regiments, 18 Plastun battalions, 5 cavalry batteries, 32 special cavalry hundreds and two hundreds of the Warsaw division (approximately 48.5 thousand people). In just a few years Great War Just over 106 thousand Kuban Cossacks were mobilized.

In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Kuban Cossack army was at the zenith of its glory, in its heyday. The life of the troops returned to a stable direction. The army owned huge plots of land, had a government that was different from that of other Russian provinces, and had its own unique local self-government.

The Kuban Cossack army was controlled by an ataman appointed by the emperor, who was also the head of the Kuban region.

Since 1888, the Kuban region was divided into 7 departments, headed by atamans appointed by the appointed ataman. At the head of the villages and farms were elected atamans, approved by the atamans of the departments. Until 1870, executive power in the Kuban villages was exercised by the village board, consisting of an ataman and two elected judges. Since 1870, the court became independent and separated from the board, which included the chieftain, his assistant, clerk and treasurer. The most important function of the Cossack community was land distribution. The land area of ​​the Kuban Cossack army was over 6 million dessiatines, of which 5.2 million belonged to the villages. The remaining lands were in military reserve and in the ownership of Cossack officers and officials.

Communities allocated land to Cossacks from the age of 17 at the rate of 16 - 30 dessiatinas per 1 male soul. For equal use of land, stanitsa lands were periodically redistributed. With the natural growth of the Cossack population, the share allotment of the Kuban Cossack gradually decreased. In the 1860s it averaged 23 dessiatines, and in 1917 it was only 7.6 dessiatines.

In 1917, the Kuban Cossack army consisted of 262 villages and 246 hamlets, in which 215,311 Cossack families lived, which accounted for 52.3% of all farms in rural areas. Being engaged in agriculture, Cossack farms were better equipped with agricultural machinery than other categories of the population.

Included in the system of all-Russian jurisdiction, the Kuban Cossacks retained their inherent democracy and originality. traditional culture, different from others.

For the beginning of the 20th century, the Kuban Cossacks also had a fairly high literacy level - more than 50%. The first schools appeared in Kuban at the end of the 18th century. In the 1860s. in the Kuban Cossack army there was only one military men's gymnasium and 30 primary schools. After 10 years, there were already 170 schools in the villages. At the beginning of the 20th century. up to 30 military scholarship recipients annually studied at the best universities in the country.

Since 1863, the newspaper “Kuban Military Gazette” began to be published - the first periodical publication in the Kuban, since 1865 public military libraries appeared, in 1879 the Kuban Military local history museum, from 1811 to 1917 There were military singing and musical choirs performing classical, spiritual and folk works.

The Kuban Cossacks were deeply religious people. The first Church of the Intercession in Kuban was built in Taman at the end of the 18th century. In 1801, a five-domed Military Cathedral was erected in Yekaterinodar. At the beginning of the 20th century. on the territory of the army there were already 363 churches, 5 for men and 3 convents, as well as one monastery.

Kuban Cossacks during the years of Soviet power (Civil War, years of repression, emigration)

By the beginning of the 20th century, there were 11 Cossack troops in Russia with a total number of 4.5 million people. The largest of them were the Don, Kuban and Terek troops.

But the political events that followed the 1917 revolution almost wiped out everything that the Cossacks did for the country in previous centuries. On January 24, 1919, a directive was adopted on a merciless fight against the Cossacks. And for many years, even reminders of the Cossack defenders, their military exploits and glory were eradicated from history.

After February Revolution In 1917, a political situation developed in Kuban that was different from the all-Russian one. Following the commissioner of the Provisional Government, K. L. Bardizh, appointed from Petrograd and the Kuban Regional Council that arose on April 16, the Kuban Military Rada at its First Congress proclaimed itself and the military government the highest governing bodies of the army. The “triple power” that emerged in this way lasted until July 4, when the Rada declared the Council dissolved, after which K. L. Bardizh transferred all power in the region to the military government.

Ahead of the developments in Petrograd, the 2nd Regional Rada, which met in late September and early October, proclaimed itself the supreme body not only of the army, but of the entire Kuban Territory, adopting its constitution - “Temporary Regulations on the Supreme Bodies of Power in the Kuban Territory.” After the 1st session of the Legislative Rada and part of the 1st regional congress of nonresidents, which began simultaneously on November 1, united, they declared non-recognition of the power of the Council of People's Commissars and formed the Legislative Rada and the regional government on a parity basis. N.S. became the Chairman of the Rada. Ryabovol, L.L. Bych became the chairman of the government instead of A.P. Filimonov, who was elected ataman of the Kuban Cossack army.

On January 8, 1918, Kuban was proclaimed an independent republic, part of Russia on a federal basis.

Having put forward the slogan of “fighting dictatorship on the left and right” (that is, against Bolshevism and the threat of restoration of the monarchy), the Kuban government tried to find its own, third way in the revolution and civil strife. Over the course of 3 years in Kuban, four atamans (A.P. Filimonov, N.M. Uspensky, N.A. Bukretov, V.N. Ivanis), 5 chairmen of the government (A.P. Filimonov, L.L.) were replaced in power. Bych, F. S. Sushkov, P. I. Kurgansky, V. N. Ivanis). The composition of the government changed even more often - a total of 9 times. Such frequent changes of government were largely a consequence of internal contradictions between the Black Sea and linear Cossacks of the Kuban. The first, economically and politically stronger, stood on federalist (so-called “independent”) positions, gravitating towards Ukraine. Its most prominent representatives were K. L. Bardizh, N. S. Ryabovol, L. L. Bych. The second political direction, represented by Ataman A.P. Filimonov, traditionally for Russian-speaking Lineists was oriented toward a united and indivisible Russia.

Meanwhile, the First Congress of Soviets of the Kuban Region, held on February 14-18, 1918 in Armavir, proclaimed Soviet power throughout the region and elected an executive committee headed by Ya. V. Poluyan. On March 14, Ekaterinodar was taken by Red troops under the command of I. L. Sorokin. The Rada, which left the capital of the region, and its armed forces under the command of V. L. Pokrovsky united with the Volunteer Army of General L. G. Kornilov, which set out on its first Kuban (“Ice”) campaign. The bulk of the Kuban Cossacks did not support Kornilov, who died on April 13 near Yekaterinodar. However, the six-month period of Soviet power in Kuban (from March to August) changed the Cossacks’ attitude towards it. As a result, on August 17, during the second Kuban campaign, the Volunteer Army under the command of General A.I. Denikin occupied Yekaterinodar. At the end of 1918, 2/3 of it consisted of Kuban Cossacks. However, some of them continued to fight in the ranks of the Taman and North Caucasian red armies, which retreated from the Kuban.

After returning to Yekaterinodar, the Rada began to resolve issues of the state structure of the region. On February 23, 1919, at a meeting of the Legislative Rada, the 3-stripe blue-raspberry-green flag of Kuban was approved, and the regional anthem “You, Kuban, you are our Motherland” was performed. The day before, a Rada delegation led by L. L. Bych was sent to Paris for the Versailles Peace Conference. The idea of ​​Kuban statehood came into conflict with General Denikin’s slogan about a great, united, indivisible Russia. This confrontation cost the Chairman of the Rada N.S. Ryabovol his life. In June 1919, he was shot dead in Rostov-on-Don by a Denikin officer.

In response to this murder, wholesale desertion of the Kuban Cossacks began from the front, as a result of which no more than 15% of them remained in the Armed Forces of southern Russia. Denikin responded to the Parisian diplomatic demarche of the Rada by dispersing it and hanging it regimental chaplain A. I. Kulabukhova. The events of November 1919, called by contemporaries the “Kuban Action,” reflected the tragedy of the fate of the Kuban Cossacks, expressed by the phrase “one among strangers, a stranger among one’s own.” This expression can also be attributed to the Kuban Cossacks, who fought on the side of the Reds.

The capture of Yekaterinodar by units of the Red Army on March 17, 1920, the evacuation of the remnants of Denikin’s army from Novorossiysk to the Crimea and the capitulation of the 60,000-strong Kuban army near Adler on May 2-4 did not lead to the restoration of civil peace in the Kuban. In the summer of 1920, a Cossack insurrectionary movement unfolded against Soviet power in the Trans-Kuban region and the Azov flood plains. On August 14, in the area of ​​the village of Primorsko-Akhtarskaya, a landing of Wrangel troops under the command of General S. G. Ulagai landed, which ended in failure.

However, the armed struggle of the Kuban Cossacks in the ranks of the white-green movement continued until the mid-20s. Of the 20 thousand Kuban Cossacks who emigrated, more than 10 thousand remained abroad forever.

Kuban paid a heavy price for the establishment of Soviet power. From the memorandum of the Regional Rada it is known that in the spring-autumn of 1918 alone, 24 thousand people died here. Soviet sources provide an equally terrifying picture of the White Terror.

However, in 1918 - early 1920 the region managed to avoid negative impact the policies of military communism and decossackization, since from the autumn of 1918 to the spring of 1920, Kuban was in the rear of Denikin’s army. Combined with powerful agricultural potential and the presence of ports, this created, compared with other regions of Russia, more favorable conditions for economic development. The same can be said about the state of affairs in the sphere of culture and education. In the years civil war Ekaterinodar has become one of the small literary capitals of Russia.

The bulk of the Kuban Cossacks ended up in emigration as a result of the Crimean evacuation in November 1920. Most of them were initially located on the island. Lemnos in the Aegean Sea. Here, after fierce disputes in December 1920, Major General V.G. was elected to the post of Ataman of the Kuban Cossack Army (instead of General N.A. Bukretov, who resigned). Naumenko, who was in Yugoslavia at that time. Members of the Kuban Regional Council and elected officials from military units took part in the elections.

By the spring of 1921, the efforts of General Wrangel and the Cossack atamans to export Cossack emigrants to the countries of the Balkan Peninsula were crowned with success. From May to September 1921 they were transported to Serbia and Bulgaria. About 25% of the Cossacks returned to Russia. A small part of the Kuban residents settled in Greece and Turkey.

A number of people from Kuban ended up emigrating in other ways. During the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion, more than 2 thousand Kuban residents went with the rebels to Finland. Others ended up abroad as a result of evacuation from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, crossing the Soviet-Polish and Soviet-Georgian borders.

Many Cossack emigrants were initially held in military or internment camps. But while leaving for “their own bread,” the Cossacks tried not to lose touch with each other. That part of the Cossacks that remained in the ranks of their military units, even after they became refugees, tried to find a job where everyone could work military ranks this part. As part of their units, Cossacks worked in Yugoslavia on the construction of highways and railways, bridge construction, in Bulgaria - in coal mines. Individual Cossack units in full force were employed in factories in France. They tried to live compactly. The food in many units was “boiler” (general, from one boiler). Not only military ranks were on allowances, but also their wives and children. Mutual aid funds were created at the units. In addition, more than 300 Kuban residents stationed in Yugoslavia served as border guards on the border with Albania. During the years of the civil war and emigration, many Cossacks became so close to their unit and colleagues that even after leaving the unit for some reason, they tried, as far as possible, to maintain at least some connection with them.

The Cossacks, who broke with the army, also strengthened their ties with each other. Former village residents and fellow soldiers corresponded. In places of compact residence, Cossacks created villages and farmsteads, which contributed to their communication, mutual assistance and the preservation of Cossack customs, rituals and culture far from their homeland. More often these were general Cossack associations, including representatives of various Cossack troops. In the places of their greatest concentration, the Kuban people formed their own separate villages and farmsteads.

In addition, the Kuban villages, according to the resolution of the Kuban Rada, could include all residents of the Kuban - both Cossacks and non-Cossacks. Sometimes villages and farmsteads were formed along professional lines. These are the various associations of Cossack students. For example, a general Cossack student village in Prague or a Cossack student farm near the Sofia village.

The habit of rural and generally hard physical labor contributed to the relatively painless adaptation of the Cossacks abroad. They willingly took on any job and performed it in such a way that in some industries Agriculture Cossacks were highly valued in many countries. In particular, the unemployment rate among Kuban residents in 1923 was only 23%.

There were also representatives of the Cossack intelligentsia abroad. Many Cossacks in exile sought to obtain or complete their education. The centers of the Cossack intelligentsia were Belgrade, Warsaw, Paris, Prague and Sofia. A special place in this regard was occupied by Prague, where the following were created: the Society for the Study of the Cossacks, the Society of Kuban Journalists and Writers, the Society of Kuban and many others. In particular, the Society of Kuban, with the assistance of the Czechoslovak government, provided support, including material, to many Cossacks who wanted graduate from higher and secondary educational institutions. Thanks to his support, about 300 Cossacks received diplomas as engineers, doctors, economists, etc. Among the Cossack emigrants there were many writers, poets, artists, sculptors, actors, scientists and many other cultural and scientific figures who contributed to the culture of foreign countries and Russian emigration.

Some of the emigrant Cossacks, in the hope of the revival of the Russian Empire, took part in the Second World War on the side of Nazi Germany, which is one of the saddest and “darkest” pages in the history of the Kuban Cossacks. Even separate units were created within the fascist troops, entirely consisting of Cossacks. These units were headed by both German and Cossack generals (P.N. Krasnov, A.G. Shkuro, etc.), who were subsequently executed and even after the collapse of the USSR were recognized as not subject to rehabilitation.

After the end of the war, some of the Cossacks were handed over by the allies to the Soviet government.

In the post-war period, the United States became the new and main center of settlement of Cossack emigrants, where the so-called “Kuban Cossack Army Abroad”, consisting of descendants of the Kuban Cossacks, still exists, led by its ataman.

At the same time, a considerable part of the Cossacks accepted Soviet power and remained in their homeland.

Kuban Cossacks took an active part in the Great Patriotic War, fighting bravely in the ranks of the Red Army, which also included regular Cossack units.

One of the clearest examples of this is the feat of the Cossacks of the 17th Cossack Cavalry Corps near the village of Kushchevskaya, Krasnodar Territory, who repelled the enemy’s largest tank attack on horseback. This feat went down in history as the famous “Kushchevskaya attack”, for which the 17th Cossack Cavalry Corps, formed from Kuban and Don Cossack volunteers, was renamed the 4th Guards Kuban Cossack Cavalry Corps.

At the end of the war, Kuban Cossacks, among individual Cossack military units, took part in the Victory Parade on Red Square in June 1945.

But even despite the fact that by special decrees of the country’s leadership the Kuban and Terek Cossacks during the Great Patriotic War it was even allowed to wear the traditional Cossack uniform (Circassian), all such Cossack military units were part of the Red Army and were subordinate to the command of the army, and accordingly to the leadership of the Soviet Union.

The Kuban Cossack Army itself ceased to exist in the territory of Kuban in 1920. Also, from this time on, the concept of “ataman” lost its meaning. There were no more atamans in Kuban until 1990, just as there were no more troops.

The life and everyday life of the Cossacks disappeared into the general Soviet environment. Cossack traditions, customs, traditional Cossack culture, folklore, Cossack way of life, traditions of Cossack self-government and the inextricable connection with Orthodoxy were mostly hidden by the “Cossack guards” and were not passed on to the younger generation due to fears for their own future, and therefore in the present time is mostly irretrievably lost.

The image of the Kuban Cossack, famous to the Soviet man in particular from the film “Kuban Cossacks”, was highly stylized and adjusted to the ideology of the Soviet era, and therefore, in many ways, did not correspond to the original Kuban Cossacks, whose meaning of life from time immemorial was serving the Fatherland and the Holy Orthodox Faith.