Pyotr Krasnov rose from the Imperial Russian Army to become one of the most prominent leaders of the Don Cossacks. A fierce opponent of Bolshevism, he fought against the communists during the Russian Civil War before leaving Russia for exile.

When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Krasnov openly supported Adolf Hitler and called on Cossacks to join the German war effort. He became an influential recruiter and figurehead for Cossacks serving Nazi Germany, some of whose units committed crimes against civilians while fighting Partisans in the Balkans.

In 1945, Krasnov surrendered to British forces but was handed over to the Soviet Union, where he would ultimately pay for his crimes.