Submitted by christian on Mon, 08/29/2022 - 18:25
Cossack is derived from the Turkic word for free man. They were defiant, resistant and independent. In the 1600s, the Ukrainian Cossacks were able to establish some of the earliest versions of a Ukrainian state. The Cossacks weren't just some homogenous, heroic group of freedom fighters; they could be quite brutal. They also carried out massacres of Jews in the region in the 17th century. Yet today, for many Ukrainians, the Cossacks represent resistance to outside control.
