"KOSMOS"

He was born on July 6, 1993, and was killed on July 28, 2022, during the terrorist attack in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast. Bohdan had always dreamed of becoming a doctor and saving lives. He received his education at the Nizhyn Medical College and later worked at the Nizhyn City Hospital. He was interested in military affairs and trained in sports, including pankration and shooting; he was also a Candidate for Master of Sport in judo. He collected model cars and was fond of photography and hunting. In 2014, Bohdan joined the volunteer battalion “Sviata Mariia,” and later transferred to AZOV (military unit 3057 of the National Guard of Ukraine). He took part in the ATO, including the Shyrokyne operation in 2015, for which he was repeatedly awarded by the command. In 2018, he left service, but returned two years later. From the first days of the full-scale war, Kosmos took part in the defense of Mariupol against Russian occupiers. In March 2022, he was awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd Class, and later the Order “For Courage,” 2nd Class (posthumously). In spring 2022, after fierce battles and heroic defense, the defenders were taken prisoner. Some fighters were held at the site of the former Penal Colony No. 120 in Olenivka, Donetsk Oblast, where a staged mass execution of Ukrainian prisoners took place. More than 100 were wounded and 53 were killed. Bohdan was at the epicenter of the explosion and died instantly. Thanks to brothers-in-arms who carried his body out of the burning barracks, his father was able to identify his son only by the tattoo on his body. Bohdan’s body was returned to his parents and cremated in Kyiv on November 13, 2022. At the farewell, brothers-in-arms, his parents, his wife, and his little daughter were present. “Kosmos is a combat medic, a father, a hero—pride and an example, a brave warrior and a true son of Ukraine. From the first days of the full-scale war he defended Mariupol. He saved the lives of his brothers-in-arms until the very end. During the battles for Mariupol, he endured the pain of losing two of his closest brothers-in-arms: Skar and Deidzh. His actions and his life left a mark not only in the history of Ukraine, but also in the lives of many people,” said Yuliia, Kosmos’s beloved. On December 16, 2022, a memorial plaque was unveiled in his honor on the building of the Nizhyn Medical College where Bohdan studied.