Kuban Cossack DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia · Eastern Europe
The Kuban Cossacks live in the Kuban region of southern Russia, between the Sea of Azov and the Caucasus. Their community goes back to the 1790s, when Catherine the Great resettled former Zaporozhian Cossacks from Ukraine there to guard the frontier, and settlers from many parts of Russia and Ukraine joined them over the following century. In our model, this Kuban Cossack sample is 36.7% steppe-related, 32.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmer, 16.7% Eastern hunter-gatherer, 11.8% Western hunter-gatherer and 2.5% East Asian, close to the Russian average (39.0%, 32.6%, 17.7% and 10.7%) plus a small East Asian share. No Ukrainian sample is among its ten nearest modern averages, which are led by Russians from Tver and Novgorod (distances 0.0296 and 0.0299), then south-eastern Finns, Russians from Latvia and Mordvins, all at moderate distances, so the sample sits somewhat apart from every reference group. The closest ancient group is a Late Medieval population with a Slavic profile from Vladimir in central Russia (0.0241).
- Largest ancient components in our model: Steppe herders (Yamnaya) 36.7%, Anatolian Neolithic farmers 32.4%, Eastern hunter-gatherers 16.7%
- Closest modern population in our data: Russian (Tver), distance 0.0296
- Closest ancient group in our data: Russia Vladimir Late Medieval (Slavic Profile), distance 0.0241
Where does Kuban Cossack DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Kuban Cossack individuals sampled in Russia, listed in the G25 sheet as "Cossack_Kuban" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Kuban Cossack average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Kuban Cossack average comes out as 36.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 32.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 16.7% Eastern hunter-gatherers. The Steppe herders (Yamnaya) component reflects the Bronze Age herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppe (Yamnaya and related groups), whose ancestry spread across Europe and into Asia from about 3000 BC. The Anatolian Neolithic farmers share (32.4%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of Anatolia, who carried agriculture into Europe from about 6500 BC.
Smaller traces of East Asian (under 5%) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is loose (fit distance 0.059), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. The model draws on West Eurasian ancient genomes, with modern West African and East Asian stand-ins.
Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Kuban Cossack
Genetically, the Kuban Cossack average sits nearest to Russian (Tver) at 0.030, Russian (Novgorod) at 0.030 and Finnish (Southeast) at 0.030. On our scale, a distance of 0.030 counts as close. By the tenth closest (Mordvin) the distance grows to 0.035, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian (Tver) | 0.0296 | Close |
| 2 | Russian (Novgorod) | 0.0299 | Close |
| 3 | Finnish (Southeast) | 0.0304 | Close |
| 4 | Russian (Latvia) | 0.0307 | Close |
| 5 | Russian | 0.0310 | Close |
| 6 | Votian | 0.0312 | Close |
| 7 | Mordvin (Moksha) | 0.0314 | Close |
| 8 | Mordvin (Erzya) | 0.0338 | Close |
| 9 | Karelian (Tver) | 0.0339 | Close |
| 10 | Mordvin | 0.0346 | Close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Kuban Cossack
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Kuban Cossack, Russia Vladimir Late Medieval (Slavic Profile) (Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD) comes first, at 0.024, with Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle/Late (Balto-Slavic Profile) next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia Vladimir Late Medieval (Slavic Profile) | Late Medieval, c. 1300-1500 AD | 0.0241 |
| 2 | Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle/Late (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Early Medieval, c. 500-1000 AD | 0.0307 |
| 3 | Sweden Early Modern Kalmar (Mixed Finnic-Slavic Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0336 |
| 4 | Russia Vladimir Late Modern (Slavic Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0339 |
| 5 | Lithuania Late Modern Napoleonic Wars Vilnius French Soldier (Finnic Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0364 |
| 6 | Finland Late Modern Palkane Rauniokirkko | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0365 |
| 7 | Croatia Roman Empire-Late Antiquity Osijek (Balto-Slavic Profile) | Late Antiquity, c. 250-600 AD | 0.0368 |
| 8 | Poland High Medieval Ostrow Lednicki (Balto-Slavic Profile) | High Medieval, c. 1000-1300 AD | 0.0372 |
| 9 | Germany High-Late Medieval Krakauer Berg (Mixed Balto-Slavic-Germanic Profile) | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0377 |
| 10 | Ukraine High-Late Medieval Golden Horde Kharkiv (Central Euro Slavic Profile) | High to Late Medieval, c. 1000-1500 AD | 0.0379 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Kuban Cossack population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Kuban Cossack
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Kuban Cossack average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Kuban Cossack and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Kuban Cossack. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Kuban Cossack average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people from Eastern and Central-Eastern Europe of Balto-Slavic ancestry: ancient regional core (Corded Ware, Bronze Age cultures, Scythian, Sarmatian and Baltic Iron Age, Przeworsk, Wielbark and Chernyakhiv, Early Slavs...
More populations from Eastern Europe
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Kuban Cossack?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Kuban Cossack average is about 36.7% Steppe herders (Yamnaya), 32.4% Anatolian Neolithic farmers and 16.7% Eastern hunter-gatherers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Kuban Cossack?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Kuban Cossack average are Russian (Tver), Russian (Novgorod) and Finnish (Southeast). The closest ancient matches are Russia Vladimir Late Medieval (Slavic Profile), Hungary Early Medieval Avar Period Middle/Late (Balto-Slavic Profile) and Sweden Early Modern Kalmar (Mixed Finnic-Slavic Profile).
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Kuban Cossack?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Kuban Cossack average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Kuban Cossack ancestry?
For the Kuban Cossack average, the regional report to choose is Sarmatia – Balto-Slavic Ancestry Report, which our fit test rates as a good match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.