Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Who were the real Cossacks? Today, they are claimed as the founding fathers of Ukraine and the fierce enforcers of the Russian Empire. Romanticized as the "cowboys and pirates" of the Eastern European steppe, their true history is far more complicated—and tragic—than the myths suggest. In this video, we explore the origins, daily life, and dramatic downfall of the Cossacks. From the Zaporozhian Sich and the conquest of Siberia to the brutal Civil War and their bizarre modern-day controversies, let's uncover the truth about history's most misunderstood warriors.
00:00 - Introduction
02:56 - Where did the Cossacks come from?
06:37 - Were they really free?
10:25 - How they served the Tzar
14:22 - What did they look like?
17:53 - The Fall of the Cossacks
23:30 - The Rise?
Special thanks to my Patrons:
Kirill Klimuk, Ravenghast, Yelizaveta Zakharova, Devon Hodgson, Sarah, Simon Böse, Niels Dowgwillo, Jordan LaMothe, Petar Ilic, Bruce Eternick, Matei, Gabriel Tami, Rodrigo Santos, Martin Velkov, Eric, James Thompson, Lyudmila Ilyanova, Scorpion_doll, Alfy Ryan, Sean Lis, Jonathan Schulze, dirteater82
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Twitter - twitter.com/SetarkoYT
Hey there. Somehow you found my video and decided to watch it. So let me introduce myself. I'm Sergei and I'm from Russia. My channel is about my native country. I want to tell English-speaking viewers about the real Russia, about its past and present. Unfortunately, you can find a lot of propaganda about Russia on the Internet, both from the Russian media and from the Western ones. I want to tell you about Russia, as it really is, the country in which I was born, grew up, and lived all my life.
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Who were the real Cossacks? Today, they are claimed as the founding fathers of Ukraine and the fierce enforcers of the Russian Empire. Romanticized as the "cowboys and pirates" of the Eastern European steppe, their true history is far more complicated—and tragic—than the myths suggest. In this video, we explore the origins, daily life, and dramatic downfall of the Cossacks. From the Zaporozhian Sich and the conquest of Siberia to the brutal Civil War and their bizarre modern-day controversies, let's uncover the truth about history's most misunderstood warriors.
00:00 - Introduction
02:56 - Where did the Cossacks come from?
06:37 - Were they really free?
10:25 - How they served the Tzar
14:22 - What did they look like?
17:53 - The Fall of the Cossacks
23:30 - The Rise?
Special thanks to my Patrons:
Kirill Klimuk, Ravenghast, Yelizaveta Zakharova, Devon Hodgson, Sarah, Simon Böse, Niels Dowgwillo, Jordan LaMothe, Petar Ilic, Bruce Eternick, Matei, Gabriel Tami, Rodrigo Santos, Martin Velkov, Eric, James Thompson, Lyudmila Ilyanova, Scorpion_doll, Alfy Ryan, Sean Lis, Jonathan Schulze, dirteater82
If you'd like to support the channel:
💵 Patreon (early access to videos) - patreon.com/setarko
🪙 BTC - bc1qh8szz62crxu9ylg2jx9dz3t6vzzjdw2rheft2m
🪙 ETH - 0x19F11A86adf1ec4DDebEC0f27982805B1d1aba67
🪙 USDT (TRC20) - TYG76yndvrDD8WM9TtkBGauT7682esKZfu
🪙 Other crypto - nowpayments.io/donation/setarko
Links:
Discord - discord.gg/R3j9rKczRm
Twitter - twitter.com/SetarkoYT
Hey there. Somehow you found my video and decided to watch it. So let me introduce myself. I'm Sergei and I'm from Russia. My channel is about my native country. I want to tell English-speaking viewers about the real Russia, about its past and present. Unfortunately, you can find a lot of propaganda about Russia on the Internet, both from the Russian media and from the Western ones. I want to tell you about Russia, as it really is, the country in which I was born, grew up, and lived all my life.
Free Stock Footage provided by Videvo.net and Videezy.com.
