I am your Cossack

It is difficult to find a brighter and more romantic page in the history of Ukraine than the one inscribed by the glorious chivalry of the Lower Zaporizhzhya Army.

Perhaps there is no more fertile material for thinking about the unique Ukrainian national character than the history of Zaporizhzhya Sich. Since time immemorial, the image of a Ukrainian knight has been associated with the Cossacks, grandfatherly golden freedoms and characteristics.

However, it is quite obvious that this would not have been possible without the dedication of the heroic Ukrainian Cossack women! Although women were not allowed to participate in the Zaporizhzhya Sich, a Ukrainian woman, unlike any other woman in Europe, was associated with the army and military duties.

The peculiarities of unstable life in the Ukrainian lands near the Tatar borders determined the need for weapons and the warlike nature of women as well. Under such conditions, women were concerned with the same interests as their husbands or brothers.

In an area full of dangers, a woman often had to stand up for the protection of the family hearth, the defense of household property. Life on the border taught women endurance, independence, courage, the ability to stand up for themselves and their families with weapons in hand.