Executive Summary:
- The upcoming “Big Circle” (Bol’shoi Krug) meeting of Russia’s Cossack movement highlights their growing significance in Kremlin planning and national affairs, akin to the involvement of similar groups in Soviet-era politics.
- The meeting aims to unify the Cossacks around President Putin and discuss their strength as a national group. With its timing close to the elections, the meeting is also viewed as a platform to generate support for Putin’s presidential campaign.
- Holding a second Bol’shoi Krug meeting suggests that the Kremlin may have strategic plans involving the Cossack movement in the country’s future.
