i mean

if you understand what Cossacks are originaly

this would not surprise you

Conan the Barbarian levels of deceit

Cossacks were originally runaway peasants that settled on the frontiers and borders

because there would be no wealthy landowners in those parts

Selling wheat one minute, blades to your throat bartering your freedom the next...

Fuck yes I found that phoenix pic

Show the pic

and the govt of russia at first tried to capture some of them. but then they made a deal where they would protect the borders in exchange for freedom

I scrolled up, didn't see anything offhand

so they were basically peasants that were very tough and basically were vassals of the russian tsar

Just when I think I know history, you fellas bring me back down to earth

over time, they transformed into a more organized fighting force and became a crucial fighting unit of the cavalry

Cossacks exist even today

in fact, they are very right wing

I don't know Russian history at all outside of 1918 onward (and even then...)

The world's a big place...

their most famous stunt from the last decade is when they whipped Pussy Riot with whips during the Sochi olympics

Oh, that's them? I love those guys!

yeah

lol

based and redpilled

For anyone who has visited Kazakstahn, this is one of their ornamental gardens in Astana.

They should have consulted the painting

@guacmerchant that's cool, how do you know so much about the land of Borat?

@guacmerchant Wow, that looks pretty 60's scifi futuristic

raise your hand if you love retrofuturism

🖐

Like, they have 7ft tall blonde women

That's what this is about

@YourFundamentalTheorum I don't I just remember wanting to visit some of the architectural wonders of the stans, despite the bad transport.

How many Stans are worth going too, though?

Pretty rough area

realistically?

none

If I was 18 and thought I was invincible, I might go

they are all former soviet countries

and they have really high tensions between them

Now that I realize my mortality, I won't even go to a Braves game...

Turkmenistan.