Unveiled  History: russian kazaki in Active  Service with Hitler

moscow tries not to mention the russian kazaki (russian word from Cossacks, referred to paramilitary units of russian citizens serving russian government  – Transl.) units that fought on the side of Nazi Germany at all, especially on the eve of the 80th  anniversary of the victory in the war.

Among the documents dated 1944-1945, in the archives of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine there is  a letter case entitled  “kazaki’s Regiments”.  It was filed  in July 1944 by the 4th  (intelligence and sabotage) directorate of the nkgb of the Ukrainian ssr. The resolution stated that a certain amount of official, agent and investigative materials had been accumulated on the activities of kazaki’s units formed by the Nazis to fight against the red army. Thus, the task was to monitor  the movement of such units and infiltrate chekist agents into them.

According to archival documents, many Nazi collaborators  were among the Ural, Siberian, Astrakhan, and other kazaki. At the same time, in all kazaki’s formations that served Nazi Germany, the majority were the Don kazaki. Collaboration among them was widespread.

After the war, most of the members of those units were handed over to the soviet side, arrested and recognized as war criminals. Some of them were shot by court order, while others were sent to prison or exile with their families. For years, they were branded traitors, collaborators, and Nazi henchmen. In today’s putin’s russia, they try not to talk about this page of their history. At the same time, they persistently recite the slogan: “We are proud of our history and will not allow anybody to rewrite it.”

Read more about kazaki’s  formations in active service with Hitler on the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine’s pages  in social media.