The Cossacks are able to assert and Maintain their independence. Similarly to Switzerland. Annexing the Crimean Khanate and playing the Russians and Ottomans against each other, as well as allying with the States in the Caucasus and fighting in Russian, Polish, Austrian and Ottoman armies between 1700s and the 1900s
Hello everyone, I'm a resident of Western Europe with cultural/linguistic connections with Ukraine - leading to me being a tad bit obsessed with the country. As a *massive* political economy guy, I've decided to compile much of what I know about the present state of it In My Opinion, and ask you to Please tell me what I'm missing!
Advantages: (1) Solid infrastructure and agricultural sectors, (2) Highly educated population with a quality education system, (3) Proximity to the EU, (4) A comparative advantage in the production of Ferrous Metals and Wheat. (5) One of the most democratic countries among the post-soviet states. (6) Not really a big housing crisis, and really just low inequality. (7) Decently secular and progressive population, compared with other countries with similar levels of development. Pro western as well! (8) Western support. This includes military aid and constant EU initiatives and etc.
Disadvantages: (1) Massive Corruption and instability preventing financial investment. (2) Poorest country in Europe according to GDP Per Capita. (3) Demographic crisis: aging population comparable with other Eastern European states but with massive emigration - population has shrunk by nearly 10 million since the 1990s. (4) Keeps on having events that crash the economy, like the 2008 crisis and the Euromaidan/Crimea/Donbass situation since 2014, preventing continued long term economic growth that was seen from 2000-2008. (5) Being between Russia and the EU means Ukraine is bound to become a battleground between these two, and as Ukraine is more supportive of NATO and America, Russia may become more aggressive and preserve its buffer against the West. This may explain the constant Russian meddling in Ukrainian affairs and causing issues. (6) Elaborating on that last point, we may also be witnessing a conflict within Ukraine between pro-Russians and pro-Westerners preventing stability and etc. (7) Generally, Russian intervention and reliance on energy import; Thank you /u/houinator! (8) The war(s). Crimea was quite a large tourism centre, and Lughansk and Donetsk are both massive coal and iron mining regions. Not only does this mean that Ukraine loses some profitable industrial centres, but EU and NATO may not be as willing to let Ukraine in (they want to avoid getting involved in the external conflict) and the vital external financial investment for any developing nation is being affected by the violence as well.
My Neoliberal Hopes for t
... keep reading on reddit โกI was listening to the ะะฐะดะตะถะดะฐ ะะฐะดััะตะฒะฐ version of ะะน, ัั ะะฐะปั and was wondering if this is an actual folk song? If so, what kind of history between Ukrainians and Cossacks was there for these kinds of warning songs against the Cossacks to be written?
Edit: I'm learning Russian but read that this singer is of Ukrainian origin, which is why I asked on this subreddit. Please let me know if this song is actually in Russian.
I've heard discussions about their being a Pretender to the throne of the Hetman, Borys Skoropadsky i believe it was. May i ask how this movement is going and where i can learn more about it, i've taken an interest in the Cossacks and their history and this movement intrigues me.
##The Dark Mark of our Fight
####โIt is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity.โ
โ Socrates
Date: 1954 December
The Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations has been an organization on our target for a long while, however, it was a thing that has brought tons of negatives on our movement against the fight for liberation. Put it bluntly, the organization is lead by hard-line Hitlerites that have no real concept of the reality of the fight that's going on in Eastern Europe. The leader of this organization at the moment is Yaroslav Stetsko, a man that is mad enough to consider the nuclear annihilation of our homelands if it only meant that the Soviet Union would get crippled somehow. A man like this can not be trusted to lead an organization that acts if they are the voice of the repressed people of the east and as such, we need to take the leads of this organization into our own hands.
For this task, we will begin a massive campaign to get him removed from this position to be replaced by Vaclovas Sidzikauskas, a prominent diplomat in interwar Lithuania and one of the biggest Anti-Communist figures that we have working abroad. We trust that having a figure that has tons of diplomatic contacts for westerns nations is far more useful than having someone that only had contacts to a destroyed regime. Our team will send out offers on cooperation to the less radical factions, however, we fully expect to completely purge the organization and start to build it up from the ground up.
To combat the OUN influence over the organization we will invite Danylo Skoropadskyi, the son of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky, as well rectors from the Ukrainian Free University, who have far more moderate views to work with us on moving the Ukrainians community abroad towards our moment and to see us as a far safer bet than Yaroslav Stetsko, who is still advocating for genocide and a Third World War.
##War is delightful to those who have had no experience of it
Date*: 1506 February*
While the Grand Duchy of Lithuania hasn't been involved in any major wars since their last war of 1501, the situation of the army has not been improving at all over the years. With the lack of people to fit the massive hole in leadership since the loss of Konstantinas Ostrogiลกkis, Grand Duke ลฝygimantas has been shifting through his subjects looking for a way to somehow gain a successor to the second Grand Hetman. With the death of Konstantinas, there were even more problems that were forming, due to the simple fact that while he was serving a Catholic Grand Duke, Konstantinas himself was a devoted Orthodox, funding schools for children of Orthodox beliefs and a patron of the Cathedral of the Theotokos. Put it simply, the loss of Konstantinas has meant that we no longer have the bridge that could unite the Catholic and Orthodox Nobles, who due to the failures of Alexander the Mad have begun to conflict more and more with each other.
If this rift is not fixed soon enough, the Grand Duchy faces a fate far worse than a dysfunctional army...
###Following the examples of our Ancestors
While looking for possible solutions on how to recreate the bridge between the Catholics and Orthodox believers the Grand Duke has stumbled on the writings from the age of Algirdas and Kฤstutis, a time when Lithuania was surrounded by enemies on all sides and was fighting a war for survival, similar to how the new Grand Duke was felling when he was elected to replace the previous ruler. The period of the two brothers was the first time the Grand Dutchy had a thing such as Co-Rulers, where Kฤstutis would be assigned to the Western Regions to deal with the constant raids of the Orders, while also continuing to develop the lands of Lithuania Propria and on the eastern lands, his brother Algirdas would rule the Rus' lands and continue to expand the territories of the Grand Duchy eastwards. While neither of the brothers were Christians themselves, Algirdas allowed for the construction of Churches from both the Orthodoxy and Catholics and Kฤstutis personally had friends in the Order that he was fighting due to his knightly virtues. And most importantly, the state had one
... keep reading on reddit โกI'm developing fantasy story based on Ukrainian culture/slavonic mythology. The idea is to write a story in a secondary world, but include some veiled references to our history culture and literature. So I instantly thought of a protagonist, but there is the problem.
There is a legend about Marusia Churai, semi-mythical Ukrainian poetess and singer why may or may not really existed. The legend is roughly this (English Wikipedia page is kind of uninformative): she was bethrothed to a young man called Hryts, who went to war for four years and she was waiting for him. But when he returned, he was bethrothed to another girl. The legend then says that Marusia went to a witch to get a poison. She wanted to commit suicude, but instead Hryts drank the poison by mistake. Marusia ended up accused of murder and sentensed to death. She was rescued by the Hetman's amnesty order: because of her late father's honor and the power of her songs. Marusia then spent the rest of her life at monastery and died young.
My MC's story roughly follows this legend, but there are some significant changes. She is still a singer, her father is still famous Cossack, but her mother is a witch. Instead of romantic relationships Marusia shared with "Hryts" my MC is a platonical friend to him. Since it is secondary world which doesn't need to be historically accurate, it's she who goes to war, not him (real-life Cossaks had strict anti-female policy, in my world they would welcome anyone). The whole "poisoning" part is not the main conflict of the book, but rather something that happens afterwards: she returns home after recovering some dark secrets of the past, only to find her mother dead, she is depressed and overwhelmed and is briefly considering to drink poison. That's when "Hryts" shows up to talk to her and cheer her up (he is indeed bethrothed to another girl but since they were more platonic then romantic, there is no hard feelings). "Hryts" drinks poison by mistake, and MC fails to save him. Whole village they live in, naturally, decides that "witch's daughter" poisoned him out of jealosy because everyone knows they were inseparable as children. She is rescued at the last moment. But she is not the kind of character to spent her life at the monastery, neither would she commit suicide overvsomething like roman
... keep reading on reddit โกThe great Tsardom of Bulgaria and the noble Cossack Hetmanate have come to agreement on the matters of their mutual relations. With both peoples maintaining a wonderfully crafted and amiable friendship for as long as history can remember, the Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks and the Tsar of Bulgaria, with the consent of both respective governments and peoples, have come to a formal agreement drawing the borders of Cossack realm and the Bulgarian domain at the Prut river, and have furthermore agreed to solidify a formal and binding alliance between the two nations. Long live the Cossack Hetmanate, and long live the Buglarian Tsardom!
On this blessed day, as Hetman of the Cossack people I am honored and proud to announce the signing of a new political treatise between the great nations of the Genoese Republic and the Cossack Hetmanate. Amidst the splendor of the great city of Famagosta, representatives of our two nations have met in order to formalize a long-lasting friendship between our two peoples. As is now signed, the Famagosta Accords, or Famagosta Treaty recognizes a formal border between the Genoese Republic and the Cossack Hetmanate, as well as full mutual recognition of each nation's rightful domains. More importantly however, this agreement has united the two nations of the Black Sea's northernmost banks in a newly forged mutual pact of military alliance. May the realms of Genoa and the Hetmanate be prosperous, may the enemies of our lands tremble in fear, and may the ancient friendship of our people live on for many more years to come.
The location would be In the wild fields, near the lands of the Hetmanate and Crimea. Modern day Ukraine, for context.
Wacky adventures, a detailed storyline that involves Russian and Ottoman encroachment as your way of life is attacked on all sides, Tatar incursions, battles with rival Cossack bands, oppression, death, banditry, and brotherhood, all while you survive in the harsh terrain of the early modern steppe.
Just some food for thought. I was thinking about a game like this when in the shower just recently.
With Fire & Sword here.
In the last stage of any of the story line quests, one has to eliminate all the other factions. (Iโm playing the Muscovite quest if that matters.) I have already eliminated the Cossack Hetmanate, but by mistake I hit โquit without savingโ and it brought me to just seconds before their elimination. Now they persist with no fiefs and no armies. Iโve been running around former Cossack lands and donโt even see any patrol or foragers. During this time Iโve already started a war against Crimea, taken a castle, and still the Cossack faction persists.
On the faction page, it simply says that the Cossack Hetmanate โcontrols noneโ, where usually here the factionโs fiefs will be listed. Asking any Muscovite lord about the war only tells me โwe have 20 armies and they have none, weโre on the verge of victoryโ.
Having no other choice, I declared war on the Polish Commonwealth instead. Strangely, immediately as I did so, the Poles and Cossacks have made peace. I can also make peace with the Cossacks, but that doesnโt solve anything.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance.
Following the capture of Kiev, Grand Duke Alexander spares the city from being sacked by his army. Having seen the first snowfall of winter, the Grand Duke decides to wait out the cold in a pacified Kiev. He bolsters his army with fresh recruits in the meantime, watching to see what the Russians might do.
Meanwhile, the men of Muscovy do not remain idle. Winter is their greatest ally, and Rurikโs sons are adept at moving armies through the freezing months of the year. Two separate hosts, one under the command of Grand Prince Dmitry and one under Grand Prince Vasili, begin the steady march into Lithuanian territory. The former takes a southerly route, through territory aligned with Muscovy, while the latter heads west to Smolensk. Lithuanian scouts from the borderlands notice the armies almost immediately, and race to Kiev to deliver the news. Hearing this, Alexander sends 2000 cossacks to skirmish with the Muscovites and determine their paths, sizes, and goals.
The skirmishing cossacks slow the advance of the Muscovites, and they manage to ascertain the approximate size of Vasili's army. Outriders from the North indicate a force of similar size is marching on Smolensk. Crimeans raid the supply lines of Vasiliโs force, but they do little except slow the army in its advance on Novgorod Seversky.
#Glinski Makes his Move #####Winter 1501
In the north, far west of the Russian invaders, another conflict is brewing. Michael Glinski, Marszaลek of Lithuania, has watched the Grand Duchy fall into chaos over the past year. Between Muscovite invasions, rebellious magnates, and succession disputes, Lithuaniaโs existence as an independent duchy appears to be under threat. Deciding that the leading cause of all this is treacherous counsel given to the king, Glinski marches his army of 5000 on Trakai, seat of the Glinskiโs longtime rival Jan Zabrzeziลski. In the most unorganized siege seen in Lithuanian history, Glinski manages to somehow take the city of Trakai in less than a month of sieging. The defenders get bored after a week, but the besieging army thinks the white flag is a bluff for half a month before finally parlaying. Zabrzeziลski himself is in Kiev, and urges the Grand Duke to strip Glinski of his rights and titles for his rebellion. However, Glinski sends word to Kiev and the magnates of Lithuania that he uncovered a plot by Zabrzeziลski to foment further rebellion in the Grand Duchy,
... keep reading on reddit โกMARCH-APRIL 1502, Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Aleksandras I has received urgent letter from recently acknowledged King of Croatia and his soon to be son-in-law John Matthias. The Ottomans are allegedly planning to break the truce, God preserve us and punish the lying Muhammadens, the gall of the King of the Turks to lie to honest Christian sovereigns. The Order of the Dragon has been officially reborn and now Lithuania must lead it to defend Christians again from the Turkmen and treasonous Wallachians.
But what can Grand Duke do? The army was disbanded and he cannot raise levies again, Micheal Glinski will definitely protest such action. The solution is to hire Cossacks of Zaporozhye that now live on lands of semi-independent Kiev, a Lithuanian-Muscovite vassal that in truth serves Muscovy. But the Cossacks signed the treaty with Grand Duke and they were given land by him, the slavic nomads are not servants to any monarch, so their loyalty can be bought again. The Cossacks will likely agree to this opportunity to fight the Turkmen who raid their lands for slaves. Grand Duke sends a formal request to the Hetman of Zaporozhian Cossacks with an offer and gold to assist Order of the Dragon in the war against Prince of Vlachs and Court Jester of Bosnian Eyalet. Cossacks are scheduled to arrive to Belgrade to aid the garrison in next month.
__________________________
Raising an army of Cossacks
2000 Cossacks
100 war wagons
500 Longbowmen (Ruthenian origin)
Aleksandras's best attempts to keep Lithuania together failed as Prince of Novgorod-Siversky brought the awful news of Princes of Chernigov, Starodub betraying their sacred oath to Jagiellons and fleeing to his father-in-law Ivan III. Disappointed in Sejm and not getting recognition for his wife's title Aleksandras plans to amass an army in Black Ruthenia and march on eastern Lithuania to retake the territories. Grand Duke wrote a declaration stripping Dukes of Chernigov and Starodub of their titles and lands forfeiting to the Crown until further notice, likewise Aleksandras declared Voivode of Kiev illegitimate monarch planning to deal with him first.
As alliances with nobles of realm shrunk, Aleksandras has turned to Cossacks to help to whom he already offered Zaporozhye in return for fealty. Grand Duke promises to grant them Zaporozhye with its forts, lands and rights of vassal of the realm in exchange for their help in fortify southern borders to protect from Tatar incursion. As for the title of Grand Marshal, Aleksandras decided to bestow the title of 'Grand Hetman' on Konstanty Ostrogsky and to conscript an army for him to retake Kiev Voivodeship from traitorous House of Slutsky.
Lithuanian Suzerain has also began preparations to write letters to his brother Jonas Albertas petitioning him for help as well Grand Master of Livonia.
