Editing Cossacks (section)

====Ukrainian State====
{{main|Ukrainian State}}

Until January 1918, the Free Cossacks of Ukraine were subordinate to the Ukrainian [[General Secretariat]] of Internal Affairs. With the begin of the [[Ukrainian-Soviet War|Ukrainian-Bolshevik War]] their units were incorporated into the [[Ukrainian People's Army|regular army]]. However, after a number of battles against the Bolsheviks, Free Cossacks were disarmed in compliance with orders of the German command, whose troops had occupied Ukraine in March-April 1918 after the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Ukraine-Central Powers)|Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Free Cossacks |url=https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/F/R/FreeCossacks.htm}}</ref>

On 29 April 1918 Pavlo Skoropadskyi, the earlier leader of Free Cossacks, was proclaimed [[Hetman of Ukraine]] at a congress of the conservative All-Ukrainian Union of Landowners. This coup was backed by generals of German and Austrian armies which were occupying Ukraine at that time. The previously democratic [[Ukrainian People's Republic]] was replaced with the [[Ukrainian State|Hetmanate]], the [[Central Rada]] and the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian People's Republic were abolished, with all their powers, as well as command over the military, being transferred to Skoropadskyi, and private land ownership was reinstated. Local administration was entrusted to commissioners personally appointed by the hetman.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hetman government |url=https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CH%5CE%5CHetmangovernment.htm}}</ref> 

To achieve legitimacy among the Ukrainian population, the Skoropadskyi styled his regime as a continuation of Ukrainian Cossack traditions of the 17-18th centuries. The hetman's government included representatives of old Cossack nobility ([[starshyna]]), most prominently [[Fedir Lyzohub]] (head of the Conucil of Ministers) and [[Dmytro Doroshenko]] (Minister of Foreign Affairs). Skoropadskyi himself supported the idea of reviving the Cossack class in Ukraine as a privileged social group personally loyal to the hetman. However, his initiative was viewed with skepticism by his ministers, and the law on re-establishment of Cossack administration in Ukraine was adopted only in October 1918, shortly before the hetman's resignation, and never realized.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukrainian State |url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?Z21ID=&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Ukrainska_Derzhava}}</ref>

During Skoropadskyi's tenure in power the Ukrainian State developed diplomatic ties with Cossack entities in the [[Kuban People's Republic|Kuban]] and [[Don Republic|Don region]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hetman government|url=https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CH%5CE%5CHetmangovernment.htm}}</ref>