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From School to Battlefield to Grave: How Russian Cossacks drive young people to war
From School to Battlefield to Grave
How Russian Cossacks drive young people to war
This video was
posted
in April 2024 by
Беркут, a student association within a
Russian Federal University.
Students, about to leave for an
Airsoft
competition,
stand in military formation
outside
a campus building.
This is
Олег Монин
who took Berkut’s oath
four months earlier. Through this veiled Cossack
Youth Organisation, he trained in combat tactics with returned fighters and transitioned from
pretend to real weapons.
Within a year, Oleg abandoned his studies and enlisted in
БАРС-15,
a Cossack Volunteer Battalion fighting in Ukraine.
By Feb. 10, 2025 Oleg was dead. He died aged 19, less than four months after deployment in Ukraine.
As of February 2025 there were more than 18,500 Cossacks
on
the front lines
in Ukraine and approximately 50,000
in the army
reserve.
Cossack societies, organisations, and even military units provide an identity that is indigenous to
Russia, Visiting Assistant Professor at Miami University, Dr Marcello Fantoni told Bellingcat.
This
identity is “rooted in ‘traditional’ values, martial prowess, military readiness, orthodox
religiosity and a culture not influenced by the ‘corrupting’ West,” Fantoni added via email. This is
why “education is central to the overall enterprise”.
Oleg’s story demonstrates how the Cossacks drive young people from a school club to a war zone and
enable a state-sponsored alternative mobilisation force.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
The Cossacks played an important role in the formation of the Russian Empire. They lived in
communities called hosts on the edges of the empire. They operate under
a military hierarchy ruled by a chief,
the Ataman. Due to their loyalty to the Tsar, the Cossacks were repressed by the
Bolsheviks after 1917.
Credit: Journal “Chronicle of War”, 1915; Nicholas II among officers
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Cossacks’ descendants
called for a “rebirth”.
In 2005, a bill submitted by President Vladimir Putin allowed registered Cossack organisations members
to serve in military units and police forces.
Credit: tamvesti.ru
New hosts were created in traditionally non-Cossack lands with a
variety of institutions
to direct them. In 2018, the government
united them in the “All-Russian Cossack
Society”. Putin tries to marginalise the traditional Cossack groups, analyst Paul Goble told
Bellingcat while the ones “he has created for his own purposes” play a “major role in military and
patriotic education”.
Credit: Kremlin
There are 13 registered Cossack Hosts
across all of Russia.
Only 8 of Russia’s 83 recognized
Federal Subjects do not
have a registered Cossack Host.
In 2018, the Black Sea Cossack Host of Crimea
entered
the register.
The peninsula has been under Russian occupation since 2014. The Cossack legacy is also vitally important to Ukrainian
identity.
There are new
hosts in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and
Luhansk.
Russian Cossack organisations have been “very active within the occupied Ukrainian regions,” Dr
Fantoni told Bellingcat. They “recruit local residents and then deploy them for cultural and
military purposes,” allowing Russia “to contest and even co-opt a central tenet of Ukrainian
national identity – Cossackdom,” he said.
The national “All-Russian Cossack Society” VSKO was
created
in 2018,
and in 2019, the
State
Duma
gave Russian President Vladimir Putin exclusive authority to appoint its national Ataman.
At the top of the VSKO is Ataman Vitaly
Kuznetsov, a Cossack General.
Kuznetsov was
appointed
in November 2023, succeeding the first-ever national Ataman – Nikolai Doluda, then 70 years old
and a
sanctioned individual.
Kuznetsov has also become a leading Cossack interacting with the Russian state.
Including with Dmitry Mironov,
assistant to President Putin and Chair of the Council for Cossack Affairs.
And Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko.
As well as Leonid Pasechnik, head of the Luhansk People’s Republic. Kuznetsov
thanked
Pasechnik in June for helping create three Cossack Cadet Corps in the occupied region.
According to Kuznetsov, the VSKO
priorities are “development of military Cossack societies in all directions: education, culture,
history, and most importantly, youth. Everything through youth.”
Cossack education can be divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, all with the goal
of
promoting a unified system.
At the primary level are the Cossack kindergartens, which compete
nationally
to be named the best.
There are Cossack schools and regular schools with a Cossack affiliation.
Data from 2022
claim there were just under 2000 such institutions with around 210,000 students, but
recent claims point to over 300,000
students.
The most intense level of Cossack education is the Cossack Cadets Corps, of which there are
31 across the country, with the newest corps created in Russia’s Far East.
They
also
compete nationally.
Finally, the Association of
Cossack
Universities has 26 members,
with many concentrated in
Rostov and Krasnodar. There is also a
Union of Cossack Youth, which
in 2022
had more
than 163,000 members. More than
5,500
Cossack youth
took part in military exercises on training
grounds in 2023.
Oleg’s story demonstrates how young people outside formal Cossack education can still get pulled
in. It also shows that the Cossacks are but one of several interlaced strategies for
“military-patriotic” education.
Oleg grew up in Saratov.
Credit: Image of youth practicing putting on a gas mask, posted on VKontakte by Lyceum N.3.
He studied in Lyceum N.3, a state-funded educational institution in Saratov. Often, the school
promotes events like the national
Zarnitsa
competition. It includes activities like “putting on gas masks” or “sniper games” for third
graders.
The school’s
military club “Fakel”
acts as an intermediary for these events and other nationwide military education initiatives such as the 24-hour-long
Avangard training for tenth graders.
In 2024,
Natalia
Saprykina,
the director of Lyceum N.3, was
awarded
a Letter of Gratitude for her “contribution to the patriotic education of the younger
generation” by
a Deputy of the
Regional
Duma.
Oleg graduated from high school in 2023 at the age of 17.
In the same year he enrolled in InPIT, a higher education
institution of the Saratov State Technical University.
By November Oleg had turned 18 and was
wearing
military fatigues and practising survival skills alongside other candidates of a
“military-patriotic” student association named Berkut, at another local university, the
Saratov State Law Academy (SSLA).
Though Berkut is not explicitly a Cossack organisation, we established several
connections between the head of Berkut, Alexander Andreevich, and Cossack organisations. As
we’ll see, Andreevich was present at multiple military style training camps that Oleg took
part in.
Neither does its
page
in the University website.
The association’s official objectives are “forming a positive image of military service” and
“popularisation of service in the Russian army and law enforcement agencies”. It is headed by
Alexander Andreevich.
However, some of Berkut’s
videos
include the banner of a
Молодёжная казачья
организация.
A Telegram
post
by Andrey Fetisov, the Saratov District Ataman, refers to Berkut as a “Cossack Youth Movement”.
Even though Berkut (left) shares a name and eagle iconography with a notorious
Ukrainian special police
force (right), part of which defected to Russia during the occupation of Crimea in 2014,
Bellingcat found no link between the two organisations.
By December 2023, nearing the end of the first semester, Oleg and the other candidates
took the Berkut oath,
making them official members. Oath-taking ceremonies are
“invented
traditions”
among Cossack forces.
Atop the dais stand senior members of Berkut, including the head of the organisation – Alexander
Andreevich.
Andreevich is an active Cossack who has been working under the guidance of District Ataman Andrey Fetisov since at least April 2023.
More recently, in January 2025, they were both delivering a
lesson
to Cossack children for Yunarmiya,
exemplifying the overlapping network of youth militarisation initiatives.
In
July
2025, they both
attended
Saratov’s Council of Atamans that was hosted at the
Ministry of Internal Policy and Public Relations of
Saratov.
Local
organisations
often meet there.
In August 2024, Andreevich attended the
iVolga
Cossack Youth Festival, where he met
Kuznetsov.
The only two people featured speaking in an
official video.
Andreevich also led Oleg to two military-inspired events in April 2024.
The first, on April 13, was the annual Airsoft competition.
Five days later they went to a training that
included trench tactics and simulated helicopter jumps.
Since
2023,
Oleg often wore a distinctive yellow and red
“Скорпион”
call sign patch on his chest when wearing military fatigues, which distinguishes him from other
youth at the events. That and other distinctive features identify him even with a mask or
goggles.
Bellingcat was able to geolocate this place to be a
Rosgvardia
training ground
on the outskirts of Saratov.
Notably, the trenches are not visible on Google Earth but are on Yandex Maps, which has more recent imagery for
the region.
This group photo tells its own story. The flags visible are, from left to right, for the Volga Cossack Host, the Immortal Regiment, the Kuban Cossack Host, and Veteran News.
Oleg is at the far right wearing his “Scorpion” and Berkut patches.
This time, ex-fighters were there too.
Sergey Frolkov
is an
ex-fighter in the war on
Ukraine.
He
regularly
posts
photos
with an Akhmat special forces patch, associated with
Kadryovites
. He is also a
member
of the local
Combat Brotherhood
association.
As is
Oleg Mysov, another returned fighter who also
engages in “patriotic education of youth”
events.
Both have
attended Cossack events.
Even though in this photo they are holding the Volga Cossack Host flag, Bellingcat could not
clearly identify them as Cossacks.
A third man,
Andrey Berdnikov
is indeed
a
Cossack
and a former
fighter of BARS-15, the Battalion Oleg
joined, though he was
reportedly expelled by his Commander. On the
left, Alexander Andreevich.
Bellingcat contacted Sergey Frolkov, Oleg Mysov and Andrey Berdnikov before publication to
ask about their roles, but did not receive a response.
Five months later, in
September 2024,
Oleg
went
on a two-day training. Andrey Fetisov
got a special thanks
for the opportunity.
Bellingcat geolocated it to a military training ground in Samara, the same location where
other
Cossack recruits
trained before deploying to BARS-15. Fetisov himself
shared photos
of this training ground
two weeks after stepping down
as Ataman to join BARS-15. Andreevich left and Oleg right in
this
photo.
They used real weapons this time. A
video montage
shows participants firing live rounds.
This is
a
photo
that includes Oleg, Fetisov, and Andreevich. The first media we found for this event
is from early September
which is consistent with the
sun position
in this photo and the grass patches seen in satellite imagery from early September 2024.
Bellingcat contacted Kuznetsov, Fetisov and Andreevich to ask about their roles in the Cossack
community, but they haven’t responded.
This is the last time Bellingcat was able to trace Oleg’s whereabouts with open sources before
he joined BARS-15.
Many countries have a volunteer reserve system for getting more soldiers in times of war. In
Russia, the system is known as
BARS,
created in 2015
and
intensified
in
2021.
All BARS fighters sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense and get paid.
Mapping the geolocated positions of these units in the
UAControlMaps Project dataset
reveal widespread areas of operations. BARS Battalions are often reorganised.
Estimates
put the total number so far at
over 30 BARS Battalions and 10 of them
have overt Cossack affiliation.
Cossacks also
operate
as detachments in other military structures.
By
their own reckoning,
in February there were more than 18,500 Cossacks on the front lines in Ukraine. In May the
first-ever national Ataman, Nikolai Doluda, gave a higher figure of 46,000
Cossacks.
As of 2024, British Professor Rod Thornton estimated
that BARS constitute some 10-30,000 troops in Ukraine, 15% of the total invasion force.
The
Mediazona project
tracks individual Russian losses in Ukraine and publishes bi-weekly reports. As of Nov. 21, 2025,
they identified 149,241 publicly named casualties,
Oleg
among them.
The project also tracks volunteer casualties.
Deaths of volunteer fighters constituted 12.8% of losses in 2022 and 21.9% 2023. In 2024 they more
than doubled to 45.7%. As of Nov. 21, verified
deaths of volunteer fighters for 2025 were at 42.8%.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
BARS-15 is a Cossack battalion created on
May 15, 2022,
and named
Ермак
after
a
historical
Ataman.
Originally composed of Cossacks from multiple hosts, mainly Volga and Oremburg, it
now
draws its members from the Volga Host only.
Credit: All-Russian Cossack Society
These are some of BARS-15 specific patches.
While in BARS-15 Oleg was
reportedly
assigned to the 15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.
Several
sources
place
BARS-15 as
subordinate
to the 15th
Separate
Guards Motor Rifle Brigade also known as the Black
Hussars, headquartered at the Samara Oblast. Bellingcat geolocated this video from September 2024 to
their training grounds.
The panel reads Black Hussars. Oleg is on his knee in front of Andreevich, wearing his distinctive
“Scorpion” patch.
Credit: VKontakte @svpo_berkut
The number of active Cossack fighters in BARS-15 is reportedly 400, a number echoed
by a former Commander, with other sources saying over 900 volunteers
have passed through as of September 2024. They reportedly
took part in the
invasion
of Avdiivka among other combat
activities in Ukrainian cities both in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Credit: VKontakte @vvko_russia
Bellingcat geolocated this warehouse to the
west of Selydove,
Donetsk, using
satellite
imagery
and
reference
images
from when
the warehouse was
a concrete products factory.
Russia
captured
Selydove
in October 2024. BARS-15 posted from there in
January 2025
and
June 2025.
One of its former members is Andrey Fetisov, who temporarily stepped down as Saratov District Ataman and joined
BARS-15 between approximately November
2023 and June 2024.
Credit: Telegram @izvestia64
The identification of Fetisov’s call sign –
СЛЕНГ
– suggests he took on military roles such as “Deputy
Commander for Educational Work” and “Political
Officer”.
In April 2024, Fetisov received a Medal for Bravery from
Vitaly Kuznetsov, the national Ataman. Within six months, Fetisov would be taking Oleg to the
BARS-15 training camp.
Credit: Telegram @izvestia64
There are many reasons why people are motivated to join Cossack groups, Dr Fantoni told Bellingcat,
adding that these motivated individuals “are the driving force” behind militarisation. “Some do it
out of patriotic motivations, others for political, economic or individual status gain, some even
because this can protect oneself from future mobilisation to an actual fighting unit,” he said.
Oleg’s connection to the Cossacks was not typical. He did not attend a Cossack school or university
and still found himself in their midst via the military youth groups he joined. As his story
demonstrates, Cossacks are
embedded
into the
education
system.
Their involvement includes Berkut showcasing
Kalashnikovs to kids in a mall,
a teacher and
returned BARS-15 fighter
weaving camouflage nets with children, a former
BARS-15 commander
giving
inspirational
lessons to young students,
and Cossack cadets
drawing
“heartfelt mementoes”
to send to BARS-15.
The Russian government announced that funding
for the Cossacks will double in the next two years and it continues to implement its Strategy
in relation to the Russian Cossacks 2021-2030.
The first-ever national Ataman and Kuznetsov’s predecessor, Nikolai Doluda, is working
on a new national
law on the Cossacks and the
creation of a mobilisational reserve from the
Cossacks.
This image first appeared on Oleg’s obituary
posted
by Fetisov. The vehicle, road, and equipment are consistent with those used by other fighters with the
Black Hussars
around February 2025.
According to
recruitment
posts
BARS-15 training takes three weeks. A
recent
study
found that to be the norm in Russia’s military while also labelling training as “low-quality and
ineffective”.
Oleg’s
obituary, published by his University
states that “based on the results of training, he was appointed commander of a 120 mm mortar crew”.
Bellingcat reached out to Oleg’s parents.
His mother said she couldn’t speak about Oleg’s death,
it still hurts too much.
Additional research by Timothy B, Afton Briones, Sarah Grossman, Alexandra Malikova, Mitchell Polman, Olivia Gresham, Bonny Albo, Adam Arthur, Robert Chapman of the Bellingcat Volunteer
Community.
Youri van der Weide and Aiganysh Aidarbekova contributed to this report.
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Satellite images are courtesy of Yandex, Maxar, Airbus, MapBox and Google Earth.
This project was co-funded by the European Union under agreement number
101158277-BENEDMO-2023-DEPLOY-04.
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