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Cossacks: News

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The trouble with loving Russia: Evan Gershkovich's memoir seeks sentimentality in a lost country

By the end of his pre-trial detention at Moscow's infamous Lefortovo Prison, American journalist Evan Gershkovich had developed a curious rapport with the FSB investigator tasked with proving he was a spy. "Most people break after four months or so, but you're still holding strong — a year in," the investigator told him, and the two raised their cigarettes in a toast to "having tried to find common ground." Gershkovich writes about many such moments in "This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian-Am

“This Cursed Beautiful Land” by Gershkovich, and charred trees in Voronezh, Russia, on Aug. 1, 2010.

About Cossacks

Cossacks were semi-nomadic military groups that emerged in the 15th century across the steppes of what is now Ukraine. The Cossack Hetmanate existed as an independent state from 1648 to 1764, before Russian imperial authorities abolished Cossack autonomy and suppressed their cultural identity. Modern Ukraine recognizes Cossack heritage as a foundational element of national identity and resistance against foreign domination.

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