Cossacks In The Occupation by Temerev

When Cossack genocide is mentioned today, we usually remember the well-known executive order of January 24, 1919, followed by the practice of the physical extermination of the Cossacks. Prior to the adoption of this directive, and after its abolition, the flywheel of terror rotate, taking innocent lives of our people, even when it was not so apparent. Seeing the destruction further mobilized Cossacks to give their struggle a new purpose of surviving. This is the exact reason that the current Russian government has become more cautious in their statements in regards to the Cossack people.

The fierce resistance and large scale uprisings of Cossacks, forced the government abolishment of slogans such as “burn the Cossacks in the fires of the revolution”, but on the other they continue their oppression. While there is an absence of physical open fights against the Cossacks, there still exists a fight against anti-Soviet elements in general.

There is absolutely no reason or excuse for the ultimate extermination of our people. Russia has always possessed the desire to restore its control over the strategically important and resource rich regions. At the same time, non-residents have the envy and desire to obtain our lands, strip us of our rights, and assume ownership of Cossack countries. The result is terrifying, as the government in Moscow is aided by the mass of non-residents, who have acquired the title Russians. However, all lover of mother Russia should recall the words of Krasnov, who state “ All of Russia was coming to the Don Country, and all of Russia was going to destroy Cossacks.”

In the arsenal of tools used to suppress unwanted people, in addition to the “surgical” and blood spilling method, there are many other tools that will allow the occupation of our lands without a hint of resistance. One example is to enslave the people, preventing them from being able to protect themselves from the oppressors, and limiting their ability to over throw the newly established leaders. The enslaved people will then continue to serve the interests of the oppressors as a mean of survival. Genocide as at the very roots implemented in all of these methods.

First, the oppressors must destroy those who offer an armed resistance or able to help in a resistance. Followed by punishing those who have the potential to unite furthur rebellions, which by itself are individual who can influence groups and masses of people, or hold some type of authority. Examples of these individuals include but not limited to officers, clergy, businessmen, or regular civilians. After such a cleansing, there is no need to fight the remainder of the indigenous population, as they are unlikely to provide any resistance without an established elite force. Further, under protection, the occupied territories being the process of colonization. This way they introduce their own development of ideologies, and forced people into a certain living style. In our case having the majority of the indigenous people wiped out during the wars, the oppressors were able to successfully colonialize without much resistance among our people, and introduced us to human hunger that was faced, which continued to exterminate our people on a massive scale.

In short term, there is enough influence to secure the power by the invaders, and prevent any future danger that may be considered a threat.

Exploiting the colonized territories must also be carried out on an economic scale. In the case of the Cossack genocide, the properties were to be fully liquidated, prohibition on certain types of economical activates. For example, after gaining the influence of the Don Country in 1709 and in the 20th century, there existed a ban of fishing. However, in both cases, the ban did not last a long time, but it was sufficient enough to deliver massive damage against the economic status of the indigenous people. For the occupants, it is vital to protect themselves from any reappearing struggle for national liberation, leading to socially humiliate the conquered people, and give all preferences to the occupants, to preserve their reign of power. Examples include the limitations of political rights and restriction on education.

Usually such restriction are in place until the invaders establish their position among the population as sustainable. In the 1930s, Moscow used its stable position in the Cossacks lands to change its foreign policy, and tried to justify their policy in regards to Cossacks in the past, and establishing new policies for the future. At this point, the Cossacks were in an exhausted condition, and were unable to successfully compete against their oppressors. This eventually led to the Don Cossacks volunteering in the Wehrmacht 5th cavalry corps. Despite the fact that the Soviet Union attempted to recruit all who could bear arms, the majority of the members of the Wehrmacht significantly exceeded by those who were not subject to mobilization by age or health status. Cossacks territories under German occupation was desperately hard. Only in the Stavropol region, which is clearly dominate the Russian population, the partisan movement was not completely crushed.

However, let us return to the tools of genocide. When the invaders accomplish most of what has already been mentioned, it now becomes important to sustain their power for the future. Constant attempts of brainwashing through the media, impacts on the youth through the school, in order to strip away the cultural environment that once was so present. Simply put, everything is done to destroy the national spirit of the people, and to assimilate and dissolve the true identity of the Cossacks. There is very strong influence by the invaders on the church. This made it easier, as there is a little amount of priests who were Cossack. It was very important, that the pastors to not be of blood and flesh of his own people. This condition ensure that the national liberation movement is at a minimum and receives no support of the church, and at certain times condemned. Of all the tools of genocide mentioned, our people to this day experience a majority of oppressive behaviors towards them. While not experienced in the physical form, it is most certainly is cultural genocide, meaning genocide by means of cultural and economic oppressions.

On July 5th, 2012, a prominent figure in the Greek community and a large Don entrepreneur Ivan Ignatievich Savvidi laid in the city of Rostov, the foundation of a Greek Cathedral. For those who are not exposed to Greek migrants living in Russia, they have successfully used the Russian language for many years. Yet, they are targeted as to contain no national characteristics, and are not privileged to hold church service in their language. The only response they received from the Russian Orthodox Church, was that they have no reason to celebrate any national aspects of their spiritual needs. Since the incident, they have established their desire change their church hierarchy from the Russian Orthodox Church, to the Greek.

Our Church, is another binding element in a community, enforcing the full assimilation and Russification of the indigenous people. We live, in a state, which proclaims itself to be free and democratic, yet the government is not interested in maintain this image in the eyes of its own community. This means that they suppress the Cossack national movements, and attempt to prevent any counter propaganda which might reveille the true identity of the Cossacks.

Speaking of our native countries, it impossible to create “anticossackia” (Cossackia is the term usually used to describe the native lands of the Cossacks people) without explain to the people where and why the term Cossackia appeared. If they will start to explain this term, it will become apparent to the newer generations of the advantages and prospects of an independent national development. In time, this will lead to people demanding the return of the confiscated independence, and aid the restoration of the Cossacks state.

Not long ago, the enemies of our people, had hopes that the Cossack question would be resolved with the deaths of the older generation. As a friend of mine stated, a senior police officer confronted him and claimed that “ in another 10-15 years, the Cossack question shall not be a persistent problem anymore. You will die, and soon all of your attempt to preserve your identity will disappear along with you.” This Conversation took place five years ago, and as it turns out, the situation has only gotten worse, but the Cossack questions has not been resolved. In fact, over the past couple of years, there has been a significant growth of nationalist sentiments among the Cossacks, with no control over this process from leaders, really disturbs the Russian authorities. Because of this, we have seen the erection of a council for Cossack movements under the authority of the president of the Russian Federation. It is in this context that we must examine the recent visit to our region of patriarch Kiril. The patriarch held an earlier visit to the Ukraine, which was purely political in sense, while in contrast, a visit to the Don territories where he received little to no coverage in the media. In his speech, he gave solid directions to the clergy and their role to support Cossacks, but being careful to not support the wrong group. Twenty thousand people gathered to hear the patriarch speak, and in the end, he addressed only towards the Cossack groups recognized and put in place by the government. This practice of silencing our people has been in effect ever since the 1990s. In Rostov, you almost rarely heard of any local Cossack songs on the radio, or any TV program about Cossack history, or modern struggles. They have successfully created an artificial vacuum, leaving the voices of the Cossacks out, and our opinions never expressed.

Interestingly, if I wish to hear Cossack Songs on the radio, I tune into the radio station, “Voices of the Caucasus”. At the same channel, but at other times, I can hear the station “ Free Chechnya” a group also silenced and left out of the vacuum.

I think that Russia will eventually adjust its policy in regards to Cossacks. Moscow is well of the huge presence of supporters in reviving the Cossack state, who pin their hopes on the weakening and disintegration of the Russian Federation. If such a radical weakening happens, it would be in the best interests of the authorities to somehow slow down the development of the Cossack movement.

I would go even further to say that Russia is at a risk. Its true nature is slowly being exposed, even without the help of national liberation movements. In regards to the current economic status, Russia is focusing on the wrong elements. In China there is stable economic growth, and it is conducting effective policies of strengthening the Chinese political and economic impact far beyond the Asian-Pacific region, for example in South America and African continent. Other states as well, with sane political agendas, unlike Russia, will emerge from the crisis at hand. Russian authorities are so concerned on reducing the level of Cossack identity, they often are blind to the struggles at hand. If Russia wants some sort of support from the Cossacks currently in the occupied lands, and in other parts of the world, they should start by acknowledging the existence of Cossacks as an indigenous peoples, and add them to the list of nationalities in the Russian Federation. Any confrontation among the Russians and Cossacks, will slowly dissolve, and maybe, some energy can be focused on producing stable and economically safe decisions and policies for the Country. The Cossack people will achieve their independence, and if not with the help of Russia, then certainly from the hands of other countries, to which we will remain loyal to over Russia.

A. Temerev