“SVAROH”

He was born and lived in the city of Cherkasy. At the age of 17, immediately after finishing school, he volunteered to defend his homeland in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine and spent six months on the front line in Luhansk Oblast. In 2016, he successfully passed selection and served in the French Foreign Legion. After returning to Ukraine, from 2018 he served in a special-purpose battalion of the National Police of Ukraine, and in 2020 he was transferred to KORD. Working in an assault group, he was always the first to move forward. With the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, on February 25, 2022, he went as a volunteer to defend the approaches to Kyiv and joined the SSO assault brigade “Azov Kyiv” as a platoon commander. He held the defense in Kyiv Oblast, including Bucha, Irpin, and Horenka. Later, he was appointed Deputy Company Commander and continued fighting on the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk axes. On May 22, 2022, he was awarded the Order of “For Courage,” 3rd Class, for personal bravery and selfless actions in defending Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for loyalty to the military oath. In the autumn of 2022, while carrying out a combat mission, he was involved in a car accident. He spent several months in a coma and passed away on January 6, 2023. From his school years, he practiced judo and was a participant and prize-winner in many competitions. As an adult, he continued training in combat sambo, mixed martial arts (MMA), and CrossFit. He was actively involved in volunteer work, training and helping orphans. Commander and brother-in-arms Dmytro Kukharchuk remembered Bohdan with these words: “Svaroh was wise, like Svaroh, and fought the enemy with wisdom. May this wisdom become a part of each of us, and may the memory of Bohdan never fade, but live within us and give us strength.” Bohdan said: “It is an honor to be a warrior of Ukraine. Our credo is to fight to our last breath, to the last drop of blood, until victory. Bright people, like rays of light, break through the darkness of indifference and the lack of national consciousness. Dark times have opened our eyes to the radiance of our nation, to the beauty and strength of remarkable people—people who can sincerely and honorably be called Ukrainians. Every Ukrainian, in any profession, should do everything for the life of the homeland—do all that is in your power, and then beyond it—for victory in the war against evil. The life of the Ukrainian nation depends on you, on your participation in the struggle or your indifference. I am happy to realize that there are far more bright people than I expected before the full-scale war. I am proud of you. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Nation!”