Richard Arnold

Professor Richard Arnold teaches at Muskingum University and is a member of the PONARS network. He is the author of Russian Nationalism and Ethnic Violence: Symbolic Violence, Lynching, Pogrom, and Massacre (Routledge, 2016) and the editor of Russia and the 2018 FIFA World Cup (Routledge, 2021). He has written numerous articles on Russia, including in Problems of Post-Communism, Theoretical Criminology, and Post-Soviet Affairs. His current interests are the connections between sport and politics, Cossack movements in Russia and Ukraine, and far-right activity in Russia.

In spring 2022, Arnold won a Fulbright award to teach and conduct research in Poland. He will spend the 2022-2023 academic year in Poland conducting research on Ukrainian Cossack formations and the importance of the Cossack archetype to Ukrainian national identity as well as working with Ukrainian refugees and Polish institutions.

Contact Richard Arnold

Articles by Richard Arnold

Kremlin Formalizing Cossack Mobilization Reserve

Executive Summary: The Russian Ministry of Defense and the All-Russian Cossack Society (VsKO) drafted an agreement in June that would formally establish a Cossack mobilization reserve. Cossack forces are already

Outsized Climate Change Will Shape Russian Politics

Executive Summary: Russia is warming 2.7 times faster than the global average due to positive feedback loops resulting from Russia’s distinct geography, with alarming consequences for Arctic infrastructure and regional

Cossacks Continue to be Rising Star in Kremlin Plans

Executive Summary: The Russian government is significantly boosting the visibility and funding of the Cossacks, as seen in budget increases, high-profile national gatherings, and cultural exhibitions linking them to the

Russia’s Cossack Movement Holds Second “Great Circle” in Two Years

Executive Summary: Russia’s state-registered Cossack movement held its “Great Cossack Circle” meeting on February 25, highlighting Moscow’s growing investment in using the Cossacks as a state-managed substitute for authentic civil

Ukraine Brings War Home to Russia

Executive Summary: On February 3, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeted paramilitary leader Armen Sarkisian in Moscow, illustrating Ukraine’s strategy to actualize the war for the removed Russians. Through

Russia Increasing Military Buildup Ahead of Negotiations

Executive Summary: Russia is ramping up its military efforts—despite discussions of a ceasefire—with speculation about a second wave of mobilization. New Cossack battalions and expanded funding suggest a growing paramilitary

Kremlin Continues to Promote Cossack Rebirth in 2025

Executive Summary: The Kremlin is increasingly using the Cossack identity to justify its war in Ukraine, portraying them as liberators of Russian land. The Cossack’s use of Orthodox symbolism and

Kremlin Announces Doubling of Funding for Cossack Societies

Executive Summary: The Kremlin announced that it will more than double the budget for the All-Russian Cossack Society in 2025 at the beginning of November, indicating plans to expand their

As ‘Cossack’ Casualties Grow, Ideology Becomes More Important to War Effort

Executive Summary: Russia’s war in Ukraine has inflicted unprecedented losses on Russian forces, with significant casualties disproportionately affecting regions with large Cossack populations. The Russian government, however, romanticizes Cossack history

The Ahiska Turks: A Persecuted Group Seeking Asylum From Russian Imperialism in the United States

Executive Summary: The Ahiska Turks ethnic group have faced ongoing persecution and forced displacement since the Soviet era. Attacks and discrimination persist in Russia, and ethnic discrimination, threats, and coercion

Aged Cossacks Bolster Russia’s War Effort in Ukraine

Executive Summary: Recent reports show that Russia is increasingly drawing upon the older generation to fill its ranks on the frontlines of Ukraine, a trend also present among Cossack volunteers

Russia Occupies Zaporizhzhia Oblast the Cossack Way

Executive Summary: Moscow and the All-Russia Cossack Society completed the documentation necessary to create full-fledged Russian Cossack societies in Ukraine's occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast. The Kremlin may use Russian Cossack organizations

Moscow Uses Cossacks’ Cultural Significance as Part of New War Narrative

Executive Summary: Russia is more openly highlighting the significant role Cossacks are taking in its war against Ukraine and within Russian society through the media and promoting cultural and militaristic

Kremlin Increases Cossack Forces in Ukraine

Executive Summary: The All-Russian Cossack Society (VsKO) continues to encourage both registered and non-registered Cossacks to participate in Russia’s war against Ukraine, pulling on Kremlin propaganda about the purpose of

Moscow Increases Cossack Presence in Occupied Territories

Executive Summary: Russian State Duma Deputy Viktor Vodolatsky, former ataman of the Don Cossacks, gave an interview on May 14 discussing plans to open new state-registered Cossack societies in the

Cossacks Provide a Source of Strength for Ukraine

Executive Summary: Ukrainian Cossack societies have played a growing role in preparing the next generation of Ukrainians for military service since 2014 by teaching children combat skills. Cossack culture and

Cossacks Form New Reserve Army in Russian Push Toward Chasiv Yar

Executive Summary: Russia passed legislation creating a Cossack “mobilization reserve,” a reflection of Moscow’s broader efforts to use the state-registered Cossack movement as a recruitment tool for the war in

New Cossack Societies to Open in Ukrainian Oblasts

Executive Summary: The All-Russian Cossack Society continues to establish outposts in the occupied territories of Ukraine under Moscow’s direction. The state-registered Cossack movement is working to deepen the control of

Cossack Youth Join In On ‘Breeding For War’

Executive Summary: Cossack education has increasingly focused on preparing Russian youth for war. New Cossack cadet corps are being developed in Crimea, expanding Russia’s foothold on the peninsula. Cultural events

Moscow Moves to Establish Cossack Hosts in Occupied Ukrainian Territories

Executive Summary: The Kremlin has expanded the state-registered Cossack movement within Russia and the illegally annexed regions of Ukraine. The Cossack institutions established in the Luhansk region aim to foster

Cossack Fighters Replace Wagner Forces in Ukraine

Since becoming ataman of the Cossacks in November 2023, Vitaly Kuznetsov has charted a new direction for the state-registered movement that replicates the Wagner Group model in some ways. In

Cossack Warriors From Russia and Abroad Meet in Moscow

On November 25, a “Big Circle” (Bol’shoi Krug) meeting of “over 200 delegates from 83 regions of Russia and 43 countries of the world” took place in Moscow to discuss

Cossack Education Becoming Further Institutionalized Across Russia’s Regions

Russia is going to great lengths to maintain its war effort in Ukraine without having to resort to another wave of mass mobilization (see EDM, October 10, 31). Military-adjacent structures,

The Kremlin Uses Registered Cossacks as a Means of Stealth Mobilization

The number of registered “Cossacks” involved in the “Special Military Operation” (SVO) in Eastern Ukraine has risen to 25,000, taking into account rotations and leaves. This number was mentioned in

Cossacks Used to Promote Moscow’s War Against Ukraine

Morale is a critical resource during wartime, and the role of Russia’s state-organized Cossack movement in shoring up the home front has been significant (see EDM, May 10, 2022). In

The Kremlin’s ‘Holy War’ and Its Cossack Crusaders

Western analysts have recently devoted much attention to the religious dimension of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the true measure of influence that Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church

Russia Expanding Cossack Military Presence

The ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine has created many changes in Russian society, one of which is the continued expansion of the Cossack movement. Two recent changes highlight this process: First,

Jamestown Analyst Rich Arnold Interviewed by PolitiFact on Putin’s Lies in Ukraine

Jamestown Foundation Analyst Richard Arnold was interviewed by PolitiFact for a story on the Lie of the Year 2022, or Putin's long list of lies regarding his war against Ukraine.

Putin’s Meeting With Mothers of the Mobilized

On November 25, right before Russia’s observation of Mother’s Day, President Vladimir Putin met with women who were purportedly mothers of soldiers serving in the “special military operation” in Donbas.

Russian National Unity Day Against the Backdrop of the War in Ukraine

One of the new holidays introduced by the Kremlin, which was invented in response to the alleged impending threat of a color revolution within the country, Russian National Unity Day,

The Ghosts of ‘Taras Bul’ba’

A recently completed investigation demonstrates that the main goal of the Russian-forced re-location of Ukrainian children to Russia is so they can be raised to value their “true” heritage, which

300,000 Young People in Cossack Education

With the coming of the new academic year in Russia, the Cossack movement celebrated its achievements in enrolling so many young people in their education institutions; “300,000 young Cossacks” are

School Shooting in Izhevsk: A Specter of Further Anti-State Violence in Russia?

Set against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, school shootings in Russia—such as the one that took place in Izhevsk and claimed the lives of 15 people (11 children

Russian Cossacks’ Integration With the State

As Russia’s illegal re-invasion of Ukraine continues, a number of ramifications extend to the Russian domestic political scene with some, such as Yale University historian Timothy Snyder, positing on the

Cossack Education Policy: Ideological Indoctrination

Much has been written about Cossack organizations fighting in Ukraine (see EDM, July 25, June 28, April 25, March 30, March 2) and fulfilling ideological roles in Russian society (see

Caught in Conflict: Ahiska Turks and the Russo-Ukrainian War

One of the seemingly forgotten but oft-victimized casualties of the Russo-Ukrainian war has been the Ahiska Turk minority residing in Ukraine and Russia alike. The Ahiskas, also known as Meskhetians,

Russia’s Increasing Use of Cossack Reservists Highlights Manpower Shortage

As the Kremlin’s ill-planned re-invasion of Ukraine wears on, much speculation has hinted at Russia’s manpower and other resources being depleted and wasted on the battlefield. One indicator that lends

Cossacks: Avatars of Religious Nationalism

Russia’s re-invasion of Ukraine is over four months old at this point, and the Cossacks have played a role in ostensibly sanctifying the ongoing conflict. The narrative of the war

The Russian Far Right and the War in Ukraine

The Russian Far Right is heavily divided on both the pretext and the present course of the Kremlin’s large-scale war against Ukraine, yet this split is weighted in favor of

Jamestown Analyst Richard Arnold Interviewed by VoA on Russian Cossacks in the Russo-Ukrainian War

On May 19, Voice of America posted an interview with Dr. Richard Arnold on the topic of Russian Cossacks' involvement in the war against Ukraine.

Russia’s Cossacks: ‘Fighters’ Versus ‘Cheerleaders’

Moscow may be drawing most of its conscripts for the war in Ukraine from ethnic minority regions such as Buryatia and Dagestan (see EDM, May 4), but there appears to

Cossacks and the Battle for Donbas

Given the ostensible ties of Cossacks to the Don region, one might reasonably expect Russia’s state-organized Cossack movement to play a significant role in the battle for Ukrainian Donbas. And

Russian Cossacks and the Continuation of the War in Ukraine

As the Kremlin’s unprovoked large-scale war against Ukraine continues, the Russian Armed Forces are reportedly experiencing chronic supply and troop shortages. And now, evidence is growing that the military has

The Role of Cossacks in the Re-Invasion of Ukraine

In Russia’s aggressive and unprovoked war against Ukraine, much of the global attention has understandably focused on the actions of the regular Armed Forces; but the Russian Cossacks are also

PolitiFact Quotes Jamestown Analyst Richard Arnold on Putin’s One-Sided History of Ukraine

Om February 23, Politifact quoted Jamestown Foundation analyst regarding his perspective on Putin's cherry-picked and one-sided historical interpretation of Ukraine. The Cossack influence in Ukraine lives on today in the

As Ukraine Crisis Simmers, Russian Cossack Movement Tightens Integration With Military Reserves

The ataman (head) of the “All-Russian Cossack Society,” Nikolai Doluda, addressed a meeting of the Atamans’ Council, in Krasnodar Krai, on February 4, and instructed those gathered that “the time

Dikoe Pole Cossacks in Occupied Luhansk: Russian Aides de Guerre?

Amidst the Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine and speculation about whether the Kremlin will, indeed, again invade (see EDM, January 18, 20, 27), the analytical discussion has

All Russian Cossacks Increasingly Resemble Krasnodar Movement

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games The Russian Cossack movement is

Analyst Richard Arnold Interviewed by Vice About Self-Censorship in Russia

Russia expert Richard Arnold was interviewed in a February 25 story for Vice News regarding conscious self-censorship by Russian sports stars and public figures to avoid falling afoul of the

Belarusian Cossacks—An Option for Putin?

Due to certain superficial similarities between the ongoing post-election demonstrations in Belarus and the EuroMaidan protests in Kyiv in 2013–2014, some commentators have speculated about the possibility of “another Crimea”

Northern Ukraine’s Vulnerable Sumy Oblast: Covert Russian Links and Cossack Threats

With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings taking a massive hit as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, resulting economic crisis and his government’s bungled response, the Kremlin is

Russian Special Services Employ Cossacks, Ukrainian Religious Institutions Against Kyiv

For as long as official cases of COVID-19 have remained manageable inside the Russian Federation, Moscow was able to exploit the global coronavirus pandemic to try to pursue various foreign

Russia’s Cossacks Battle Coronavirus and Promote Kremlin’s Foreign Policy

As fears of the COVID-19 pandemic grip much of Russia, the country’s Cossacks have been enlisted to help contain the deadly virus. In the city of Ekaterinburg, Ataman Gennady Kovalev

Kalmyks Protest Donbas Separatist Who Was Appointed Mayor of Republican Capital

Street protests continue against the leader of the Buddhist province of Kalmykia and look set to escalate, with a large demonstration planned for October 27. The protests concern the appointment

Russian-Backed Luhansk Authorities Enlist Help of Local Cossacks

The authorities of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) are apparently seeking to extend their control over society in this Russian-occupied and Moscow-backed eastern Ukrainian region. As one notable sign

Ukrainian Security Services Arrest Pro-Russia Cossack Cell in Odesa

On May 28, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) arrested three Ukrainian citizens who staged an explosion in the lobby of a resort hotel in the major Black Sea port

Radicalization of Russian Youth on the Rise

Last year’s October 31 bombing of an Arkhangelsk Federal Security Service (FSB) office (see EDM, November 9, 2018) triggered an investigation, which recently released its final report. The conclusions of

Bombing of Arkhangelsk FSB Office and Rise of Youth Extremism in Modern Russia

At 8:52 in the morning, on October 31, a 17-year old student and self-described anarchist at the local college walked into the Archangelsk field office of the Russian Federal Security

The ‘Russian Columbine’ Shooting in Crimea Highlights Youth Radicalization, Proliferation of Firearms

On October 17, 18-year-old student Vladislav Roslyakov walked into his polytechnic school in the Russian-occupied Crimean town of Kerch, ascended to the second floor of the building and opened fire

Ukraine Eliminating Communist-Era Legacy Names in Dnipropetrovsk

Since the 2014 EuroMaidan revolution, a series of “de-Communization” efforts have been taking place in Ukrainian regions and cities across the country. One of the main streets in the resort

Russia Invites Fringe European Politicians to ‘Observe’ Upcoming Presidential Election

Russia is well-known for having connections to the political far right in Europe, but its links to the European far left are just as firmly established. This was affirmed once

Navalny Launches ‘Voters’ Strikes’ Across Russia

On Sunday, January 28, demonstrations and protests organized by Alexei Navalny shook Russia once again, this time calling for what he has called “Voters’ strike” protests. While Navalny’s website claims

Russian Truckers Declared ‘Foreign Agents’

Following an inspection by the Ministry of Justice, the Russian truckers organization Association of Russian Carriers (Obedinenie Perevozchikov Rossii—OPR) has been declared a “foreign agent.” The organization was originally formed

Angry Krasnodar Farmers Write Open Letter to Putin

The saga continues for farmers in Krasnodar protesting corruption in their region and the unfair distribution of land. The farmers originally planned to caravan to Moscow but were intercepted by

Social Protests in Russia Repeatedly Force Kremlin to Respond

While Russia’s economic woes are usually blamed on a combination of Western sanctions and falling global oil prices, it is worth remembering that some of the country’s economic wounds are

Tatarstani Cossacks Enter Government Service

Although not commonly associated with the Cossacks, the city of Kazan (in the ethnic republic of Tatarstan, historically a Muslim region) played host, in mid-June, to a meeting of the

Cossacks Distribute Aid in Rostov Oblast

As thousands of refugees from Ukraine’s far-eastern Donbas region continue to pour into Russia’s Rostov Oblast (see EDM, June 30), the need for humanitarian aid is intense. One social group

Domestic Pressure on Putin to Intervene in Ukraine Mounts

While the dominant narrative in the West is that President Vladimir Putin is personally responsible for the crisis in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbas and seeks to use it to

Non-Traditional Threats to Sochi

The recent warning from the US State Department not to wear patriotic clothing outside of the “ring of steel” in Sochi proper might have been thought to forestall an attack

Non-Traditional Threats to Sochi

The recent warning from the US State Department not to wear patriotic clothing outside of the “ring of steel” in Sochi proper might have been thought to forestall an attack

Inadequate Professionalism in the Police Forces Remains a Problem for the Russian State

New recruits to the Russian police will soon undergo mandatory polygraph tests in order to gain admission to the force. The requirement, introduced in June 2012 as part of a

Jamestown’s Richard Arnold cited by Origo

Jamestown analyst Richard Arnold was cited in an article published by Origo about the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

FSB Foils Attempted Assault on 2014 Winter Olympics

With the world’s attention on London in the run-up to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, it is important to bear in mind that the next Olympics in 2014 will be

Events

Watch the Video – Russia’s Future: A Challenge for U.S. Policy

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 turned Moscow’s... MORE

Media Appearances

Books and Reports

Yemen After The Arab Spring Conference DVD

On October 13, 2011, The Jamestown Foundation held its annual conference on Yemen entitled, “Yemen After the Arab Spring: From Revolution to Disintegration?” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. This full-length DVD covers three conference panels, a keynote speech and concluding remarks featuring: A keynote... MORE