Despite the presence of “atamans”, there are no Cossacks themselves.
The Russians are trying to imitate a “Cossack army” in the temporarily occupied territories and are appointing fake leaders of military groups.
The Center for National Resistance reports this.
“The Russians have appointed the first “atamans” of the “Cossack” cells they have created. These people have already sworn allegiance to the occupiers and thus have become a legitimate target for the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the statement says.
However, despite the presence of “atamans,” there are no Cossacks themselves. That is, these cells exist only in the imagination of propagandists and are needed solely for the Kremlin's intentions to appropriate “Cossacks.”