Foma Kozhyn was born into a peasant family,[1] at the end of the 19th century, in the village of Katerynivka, in the Katerynoslav province of the Russian Empire (modern-day Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine).

[8] When conflict broke out between the Bolsheviks and Makhnovists in early 1920, Kozhyn continued to lead his machine-gun regiment in the 3,000-strong insurgent core, as part of a period of sustained guerrilla warfare.

[9] After the ratification of the Starobilsk agreement, which established an alliance between the Bolsheviks and Makhnovists, the insurgents were able to retake their capital of Huliaipole, before being ordered to continue with their offensive operations.

[22] In March 1921, the detachment led by Shchus and Kozhyn managed to reestablish contact with Nestor Makhno, who subsequently ordered them to rendezvous with other insurgent units in Poltava.

[23] In May 1921, Kozhyn made the rendezvous, which drew together 2,000 cavalry and multiple infantry regiments, in order to attack Bolshevik requisitioning units in eastern Ukraine.

[25] On 22 July 1921, Roberts Eidemanis telegraphed the Red Army command in Kharkiv and demanded the execution of Foma Kozhyn, who was lined up before a firing squad and shot.