page_title: Facial hair in the military
section_title: Ukraine
hierarchical_section_title: Facial hair in the military / Europe / Ukraine
caption_attribution_description: Русский: В:К: Святослав Игоревич сконч:972г. (По описанию Льва Диакона.) English: Slav warrior, russian knyaz Svyatoslav.
context_page_description: Facial hair in the military has been at various times common, prohibited, or an integral part of the uniform.
context_section_description: Ukrainian Cossacks traditionally have a distinctive facial hair style – long "cossack" moustache was very popular across Ukraine during Middle Ages until modern times. The tradition allegedly dates back at least to the times of prince of Kyevan Rus' Sviatoslav I of Kiev famous for his military campaigns in the east and south. Sviatoslav had distinctive moustache and hair style (oseledets or chupryna) that almost every Ukrainian cossack had centuries after his times (although Svyatoslav had lived in 10th century, while Cossacks appear on the historical scene only since the 15th century).
  The length of the cossack moustache was important – the longer the better. Sometimes one had to tuck them away behind one's ears.
  Some cossacks were wearing beards as well, but this type of facial hair was not very popular in Ukraine in general and in Ukraine's military in particular.
caption: Illustration of Sviatoslav the prince of Kyevan Rus'
exif: {}