Ukrainian Cossacks: Recruitment

Recruitment into the Ukrainian Cossacks was largely voluntary and open to free men seeking military service, protection, and a life of relative autonomy. Many were peasants, runaway serfs, or adventurers who joined the Cossack ranks to escape oppression or to pursue a military career.
Over time, becoming a Cossack became not only a military role, but also a social and political identity rooted in freedom, the Orthodox faith, and resistance to foreign domination.