Among Ukrainian Cossacks, starshyna was a collective noun for admitistrative categories of military officers and state officials. In common parlance the term referred to the privileged social stratum of the Cossack society.^[1]

Sharshyna was subdivided into:

• General Starshyna (Генеральна старшина), headed by Hetman (or Quartermaster General as acting Hetman)
  • Quartermaster General (Генеральний обозний)
  • Judge General (Генеральний суддя)
  • Secretary General (Генеральний писар)
  • Adjutant General (Генеральний осавул)
  • Treasurer General (Генеральний підскарбій)
  • Ensign General (Генеральний хорунжий)
  • Bunchuk General (Генеральний бунчужний)
• Regimental (Polkova) Starshyna, headed by Polkovnyk (Colonel)
  • Regimental Obozni (Quartermaster) (Ukrainian: Полковий обозний) – first Deputy Colonel. He was in charge of artillery and fortress fortifications. In the absence of a colonel he replaced him, but he was not authorized to issue universal orders (as opposed to the commanding colonel).
  • Regimental Judge (Ukrainian: Полковий суддя) – was in charge of a civil court in the ratusha
  • Regimental Osavul (Ukrainian: Полковий осавул) – assistant Colonel in Military Affairs
  • Regimental Khorunzhy (Ukrainian: Полковий хорунжий) – commander of the "Khorunzhy Cossacks", guarding the colonel and the starshina. He was in charge of regimental music and was responsible for keeping the khorugv (regiment flag).
  • Regimental scribe [uk] (Ukrainian: Полковий писар) – secretaries at the ratusha. One was in charge of military affairs, and the other of civilian affairs.
• Starshyna of Hundred (Sotenna) – headed by Sotnyk
  • Sotenny otaman (Ukrainian: Сотенний отаман) – the deputy sotnik, implemented the duties of an obozni and a judge on a sotnia level
  • Sotenny Osavul (Ukrainian: Сотенний осавул) – assistant sotnik in military affairs
  • Sotenny Khorunzhy (Ukrainian: Сотенний хорунжий) – headed the sotnias flags
  • Sotenny Scribe (Ukrainian: Сотенний писар) – a secretary
• Junior Starshyna (Молодша старшина) – headed by Otaman
• Administration: Regimental scribe [uk], General scribe [uk]

Later, sometime after the Khmelnytsky's Uprising, it was also associated with the Ukrainian nobility which derived out of the officership and the Hetman.