The current President of the World Cossack Association

The existing President of the World Cossack Associations is Vassiliy Layshko. He has been held this position from 1997.

Mr. Layshko was born in 1952 in place called Krasnodar the capital of Kuban Cossack's territory, it is in South of Russia. He has moved to USA in the beginning of 1990. On his arriving to USA he has established the contacts with many Cossacks organizations here in United States. Mr. Layshko has became very active member of Kuban Cossack Associations, which is located in Howell, NJ. In few year Mr. Layshko has been awarded rank of Colonel and has become the chief of staff of the Kuban Cossack Associations.

World Cossacks Association

The World Cossack Association was established in 1947 in state of NJ, USA. The associations was created by the cossacks, people who were forced to move out of Communist Russia (former Soviet Union) after Second World War. To seek a freedom and better life for their members and all cossacks and their families together.
The main idea of creations of the World Cossacks Associations was to unite all Cossack and Cossacks organizations all over the world.
The main rules and tasks of Associations are:
1. To protect all members.
2. Assistance to development of community, fraternal interrelations and the maintenance of the Cossacks traditions among them.
3. To help the members in their needs, loosing jobs, illness.
4. The cultural and information work, to publish books and magazines, lecture and concerts and celebration of all Cossacks holidays.
5. Open our own Cossacks clubs, museums and libraries (which is already exists).

Who are the Cossacks, where they come from?

Well, to answer this questions it would probably take a thousand pages for me to write. So i will try to keep as short as possible and understandable. Napoleon in 1812 said one thing, that probably would make readers to understand who are the Cossacks, he said "Give me a ten thousand Cossacks and i conquer the world". He found out that after he was defeated by Russians in 1812. So, from his saying would not be that hard to figured out that Cossacks are the worriers and very good ones. But where they come from? History on this is very hazy. The first knowledge of Cossack coming from 11-12 centuries. That Cossacks tribes were horsemen of the steppes. Basically they were moving from one place to the other and fought they way out.

There were many nationality involve in formation of Cossacks. Historian not really sure on this even Cossacks have not much ideas. But we know this that we are the old Slavic tribe and mostly lived on Slavic territories (Russia and Ukraine now).

So, as I'm writing about Kuban Cossacks not others, because there are Don Cossacks, Siberian, Ural, Krim Cossacks. In the beginning of the 15 century Zaporozhian Cossacks has establish what they called Zaporizhian Host (Sich) on the Dnieper river in Ukraine. I'm not sure of those translations on English but I'm trying to be as closer as possible. On Dnieper's, it is in Ukraine now, river there is a island where the first Cossack base was billed. In that time Kuban Cossacks were called Zaporozhian Cossacks because they lived there. I'm assuming that Cossacks get their name from the placed where they stayed. From the pictures above you can see how different their clothes were when they lived in Zaporozhye and after they moved to Kuban.

So, as i said that Cossacks were the greatest worries in European history in that time, they were also the saviours of the Russia, Ukraine and even Poland from Osman Imperial, which was the biggest threat to the Europe in that time. Nobody could defeated them accept Cossack who invaded Osman many time and got back with great victory.

One more thing, the historians called the Cossacks Sich, that is the name of Cossacks base, the first democratic country. Cossacks actually owned a big land in Ukraine, from Poland to the Russia where is Ukraine now. I have not mentioned that cossacks have their leaders or they called them Ataman. The Ataman could be anybody who has the courage to be a leader and great worrier. All Cossack in their base, that could be up to 100,000 worrier, had a vote and equal right to select their leader. That is why it was called the first democratic country.

So move on, in 18 century Russian defeated Osman imperial and cossacks were moved to Kuban, south of Russia, where they staying up to now. During Communism administration Cossacks did not accept communism ideas and for that they were the enemies of the country as communist used to said. A lot of Cossacks were just murdered by the communist and a lot of them moved to different countries. Many of them established here in USA.

After communist dictated collapsed cossacks ideas traditions reborn. Now children in Russia learning the history of the cossacks as of the greatest defenders of the Russia and Ukraine.

I'm apologise for any misinterprets to my story, what I'm trying to do just to give ideas to English readers who are the cossacks. Anybody welcome to correct me or give their own ideas.

In the end i would like to say that Cossacks traditions are lives and will be forever remembered as long as Cossacks exists.

The art of the Cossacks

Cossacks were not only the greatest warriors but also artist. One of the famous Cossack artist Mr. Kvashura. Here is one of his work, which represent the relocation of the Zaporozhian Cossacks (descendants of Kuban Cossacks) to the Kuban.

Kuban Cossack Dance