ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Repatriation of Cossacks after WWII

After the Second World War, some Cossacks were caught by the Soviet Union while fighting with the Germans, meaning they were fighting for the other team. The Soviet authorities sent them to the prison camps or Gulags, where they were tortured and punished. Meanwhile, some Cossacks who escaped from the Soviet Union joined the Allied forces and fought against the Germans. As the war came to an end, the Soviet Union started asking for their return, which was called repatriation.

To understand it better, imagine a game where two groups of kids are playing on opposite sides. During the game, some kids switch sides, and the group that loses gets angry and wants them back. In the case of the Cossacks, the Soviet Union was angry that some of their own people had gone to fight for the enemy and wanted them back.

Now, the Cossacks who fought alongside the Allied forces did not want to go back to the Soviet Union because they knew what would happen to them. It would be like your friend wanting to go back to their house when they know there is no food or toys there, and their parents will punish them. The Cossacks knew that if they returned to the Soviet Union, they would be punished for being traitors.

The Allied forces agreed to repatriate the Cossacks, meaning they would be sent back to the Soviet Union. However, many of them did not want to go, and the Allied forces were not happy about it either. So, they came up with a plan to convince the Cossacks to go back. They promised them that they would be allowed to settle in other countries, like the United States, or that they could move to colonies in other parts of the world. But unfortunately, most of these promises were never kept.

In conclusion, repatriation of Cossacks after WW2 meant sending them back to their home country, the Soviet Union. Some of them escaped from the Soviet Union and fought alongside the Allied forces, while others were captured fighting for the Germans. The Soviet authorities wanted them back, leading to the Allied forces repatriating them. However, most of the Cossacks did not want to go back to the Soviet Union, fearing for their lives.