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A plastun or plastoon (Ukrainian, Russian: пластун) was a Cossack foot scouting and sentry military unit.^[1] Originally, they were part of the Black Sea Cossack Host and then later in the 19th and 20th centuries Kuban Cossack Host.

Early history

The tradition of foot scouts, vanguard troops, and ambushes, together with the term plastuny, belong to the early Cossack history of the Zaporizhian Sich and mentioned, e.g., by Vladimir Dahl in his Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language. Plastun foot units were introduced during the Russian-Circassian War to guard and scout beyond the "Kuban Line", a frontier in the Kuban plains, against sudden Circassian raids.

Later, the name "plastoon regiments" was applied to all Cossack infantry. In the Russian Imperial Army, whole plastun regiments were formed. Normally, Cossacks had to buy their horses and horse tack with their own money, and plastuns did not have these expenses. Despite this, regular plastun units were not popular, since they did not fit the traditional notion of Cossack pride. Therefore, plastun units tended to consist of poorer people.^[2]

Soviet period

The term was revived in the Soviet Army during the Great Patriotic War and used in the names of several Cossack battalions and regiments. The only plastun Cossack division of that time was the 9th Krasnodar Plastun Division, which fought in Northern Caucasus, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, and was one of the elite Soviet military units. Germans called them "Stalin's cutthroats". At the same time, "plastun" (i.e., infantry) regiments existed in the Cossack military that fought on the German side, in the 15th SS Cossack Cavalry Corps.

Name

The name derives from the word plast, "sheet" via an expression "to lay like a sheet", i.e., flat and low. The word "plastoon" also can refer to a member of a Ukrainian scouting organization Plast, named after the original plastoons.

References

^ Struk, Danylo Husar. "Plast Ukrainian Youth Association". Encyclopedia of Ukraine. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442651265.
^ "Вооруженныя Силы Россіи" [Russian Armed Forces]. Russkīĭ vi︠e︡stnik (in Russian). V. tip. T. Volkova. 1867. p. 205.

[1] Struk, Danylo Husar. "Plast Ukrainian Youth Association". Encyclopedia of Ukraine. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442651265.

[2] "Вооруженныя Силы Россіи" [Russian Armed Forces]. Russkīĭ vi︠e︡stnik (in Russian). V. tip. T. Volkova. 1867. p. 205.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{For|the urban-type settlement in Primorsky Krai, Russia|Plastun (urban-type settlement)}}
+{{For|the urban-type settlement in Primorsky Krai, Russia|Plastun (urban-type settlement)}}{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}{{Cossacks}}
+A '''plastun''' or '''plastoon''' ([[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], {{langx|ru|пластун}}) was a [[Cossack]] foot [[Reconnaissance|scouting]] and [[wikt:sentry|sentry]] [[military unit]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Struk |first=Danylo Husar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JWxEDAAAQBAJ |title=Encyclopedia of Ukraine |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=9781442651265 |language=en |chapter=Plast Ukrainian Youth Association}}</ref> Originally, they were part of the [[Black Sea Cossack Host]] and then later in the 19th and 20th centuries [[Kuban Cossack Host]].
-{{Unreferenced|date=August 2007}}
-{{Cossacks}}
-A '''Plastun''' or '''plastoon''' ([[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], {{lang-ru|пластун}}) was a [[Cossack]] foot [[Reconnaissance|scouting]] and [[wikt:sentry|sentry]] [[military unit]]. Originally they were part of the [[Black Sea Cossack Host]] and then later in the 19th and 20th centuries [[Kuban Cossack Host]].
 ==Early history==
-The tradition of foot scouts, vanguard troops and ambushes, together with the term ''"plastuny"'', belong to the early Cossack history of the [[Zaporizhian Sich]] and mentioned, e.g., by [[Vladimir Dahl]] in his "[[Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language]]". Plastun foot units were introduced during the [[Russian-Circassian War]] to guard and scout beyond the "Kuban Line", a frontier in the [[Kuban]] plains, against sudden [[Circassians|Circassian]] raids.
+The tradition of foot scouts, vanguard troops, and ambushes, together with the term ''plastuny'', belong to the early Cossack history of the [[Zaporizhian Sich]] and mentioned, e.g., by [[Vladimir Dahl]] in his ''[[Explanatory Dictionary of the Live Great Russian language]]''. Plastun foot units were introduced during the [[Russian-Circassian War]] to guard and scout beyond the "Kuban Line", a frontier in the [[Kuban]] plains, against sudden [[Circassians|Circassian]] raids.
-Later the name "plastoon regiments" was applied to all Cossack [[infantry]]. In the [[Russian Imperial Army]], whole plastun regiments were formed. Normally Cossacks had to buy their horses and [[horse tack]] with their own money, and plastuns did not have these expenses.  Despite this, regular plastun units were not popular since they did not fit the traditional notion of Cossack pride. Therefore, plastun units tended to consist of poorer people.
+Later, the name "plastoon regiments" was applied to all Cossack [[infantry]]. In the [[Russian Imperial Army]], whole plastun regiments were formed. Normally, Cossacks had to buy their horses and [[horse tack]] with their own money, and plastuns did not have these expenses.  Despite this, regular plastun units were not popular, since they did not fit the traditional notion of Cossack pride. Therefore, plastun units tended to consist of poorer people.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b_4YAAAAYAAJ&q=%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5&pg=PA205 |title=Russkīĭ vi︠e︡stnik |date=1867 |publisher=V. tip. T. Volkova |pages=205 |language=ru |chapter=Вооруженныя Силы Россіи |trans-chapter=Russian Armed Forces}}</ref>
-==Soviet Period==
+==Soviet period==
-The term was revived in the [[Soviet Army]] during the [[Great Patriotic War]] and used in the names of several Cossack [[battalion]]s and [[regiment]]s. The only plastun Cossack division of that time was the 9th Krasnodar Plastun Division, which fought in Northern Caucasus, Poland and Czechoslovakia, and was one of the  elite Soviet military units. Germans called them "Stalin's cutthroats".  At the same time, "plastun" (i.e., infantry) regiments existed in the Cossack military that fought on the German side: in the [[History of Cossacks#Cossacks in World War II|15th SS Cossack Cavalry Corps]].
+The term was revived in the [[Soviet Army]] during the [[Great Patriotic War]] and used in the names of several Cossack [[battalion]]s and [[regiment]]s. The only plastun Cossack division of that time was the [[9th Motor Rifle Division|9th Krasnodar Plastun Division]], which fought in Northern Caucasus, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, and was one of the  elite Soviet military units. Germans called them "Stalin's cutthroats".  At the same time, "plastun" (i.e., infantry) regiments existed in the Cossack military that fought on the German side, in the [[History of Cossacks#Cossacks in World War II|15th SS Cossack Cavalry Corps]].
 ==Name==
-The name derives from the word ''plast'', "sheet" via an expression "to lay like a sheet", i.e., flat and low. The word "plastoon" also can refer to a member of a Ukrainian [[Scouting]] organization ''[[Plast]]'', named after the original plastoons.
+The name derives from the word ''plast'', "sheet" via an expression "to lay like a sheet", i.e., flat and low. The word "plastoon" also can refer to a member of a Ukrainian [[scouting]] organization ''[[Plast]]'', named after the original plastoons.
+== References ==
+{{Reflist}}
 [[Category:Military organization of Cossacks]]