Bohdan V. Karvatko

Bohdan Karvatko, born on January 5, 1995, in Vinnytsia, dreamt of becoming an officer and serving his country from childhood. In 2010, the young man enrolled in the Educational and Scientific Institute for Training Specialists for Police Units of Public Safety and Internal Troops of the National Academy of Internal Affairs (now the Kyiv Institute of the National Guard of Ukraine). In July 2014, Lieutenant Karvatko was appointed commander of a rifle platoon of one of the units of the 1st Presidential Brigade of Special Purpose named after Hetman Petro Doroshenko. He gradually climbed the career ladder, serving as a battery, company commander, officer, and senior officer of the combat and special training department. In July 2021, he took up the position of senior assistant to the head of the combat and special training department of the brigade. Principled and demanding, the officer paid special attention to the training of personnel. He personally conducted classes and field exercises, including working on skills in the use of anti-tank missile systems. He loved his wife and daughter, friends, sports, and Kyiv, which had become his home. He had a Cossack character and dignity that would never allow him to tolerate foreigners ruling on our land. From the night of February 24, 2022, when the Russian army invaded the territory of Ukraine, Major Karvatko, together with the servicemen of his unit, defended the capital. Thus, the officer made significant efforts to organize and arrange firing positions in the area of the Kyiv Reservoir. He then led a combined unit, whose task was to take under protection the sports complex "Chaika" airfield and not allow the landing of enemy paratroopers. Bohdan successfully completed the tasks assigned to him. Despite repeated attempts to break through to the capital, the enemy was always met with a worthy rebuff. In particular, in one of the battles, Major Karvatko personally destroyed an enemy BMP and 9 occupiers. At the beginning of June 2022, Bohdan Karvatko went to Eastern Ukraine, where a powerful offensive by Russian troops was underway. The officer became one of the heroic defenders of Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region. Thus, on June 17, 2022, the unit under the command of Major Karvatko took positions on the outskirts of Metolkine, not far from Sievierodonetsk. Attempting to break through the defense of the guards, the enemy launched an attack with two T-62M tanks, one BMP, and about 60 soldiers and officers. Noticing the movement of the enemy, Major Karvatko mined the approaches to the positions. After bringing the invaders closer, the officer remotely detonated the mines, destroying a tank and a BMP. After that, Bohdan hit the second T-62 with a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher and then eliminated 5 occupiers with RPK fire. The attack was repelled. On June 19, 2022, the occupying forces once again shelled Sievierodonetsk with Grad multiple rocket launchers, causing fires in several buildings. Realizing that people might still be there, the officer organized a search and evacuation of the victims. In one of the apartments, Bohdan found a woman with a child and led them to a safe place. In total, that day, the guards, led by Major Karvatko, evacuated 18 local residents, including three children, to the Ukrainian rear. On June 20, 2022, Bohdan Karvatko was entrusted with taking up the defense line on the northern outskirts of Lysychansk and providing fire cover for the "Sievierodonetsk-Bakhmut" highway during the withdrawal of the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade and the 42nd Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the encirclement. Despite the massive shelling of the guards' positions with Grad multiple rocket launchers, they held the defense for three hours. When the defensive structures were destroyed, the invaders launched an attack, and there was a threat of finding themselves in an encirclement. Bohdan Karvatko ordered his subordinates to retreat to reserve positions, while he stayed behind to cover them with machine-gun fire. In his last battle, the officer destroyed 8 invaders before being fatally wounded himself. For personal courage and heroism shown in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and loyalty to the military oath, Major Bohdan Karvatko was posthumously awarded the title of "Hero of Ukraine" and the Order of the "Golden Star."