Dmytro M. Bocharnykov (Kaiman)

Dmytro Mykolaiovych Bocharnikov (call sign Cayman) was born on January 24, 1994, in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region. In his childhood, he was passionate about football. After graduating from Pavlohrad School No. 6, he entered the National Guard Academy of Ukraine in Kharkiv. He joined the National Guard in the rank of junior lieutenant. Dmytro loved his job. After training, he was selected for the National Guard's rapid response brigade. Since 2016, he participated in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in Donbas. He received the call sign Cayman. In 2019-2020, no soldiers in Cayman's unit were killed while they were stationed at the company stronghold in the Svitlodarsk bulge. During the full-scale war, Cayman held the position of chief of staff of the 2nd battalion of operational assignment in the 4th operational assignment brigade named after Hero of Ukraine Sergeant Serhiy Mykhalchuk. From the first days of the Russian invasion, he continued to defend his homeland from the occupiers together with his unit. He participated in battles for the cities of Shchastia, Rubizhne, Sievierodonetsk, and Lysychansk. On September 6, 2022, defense forces began to destroy enemy positions near Balakliia in the Kharkiv region. The next day, they liberated several more villages and part of the M-03 highway, taking control of the outskirts of the city. 28-year-old Captain Dmytro Bocharnikov, along with his comrade, was killed on September 7, 2022, during the liberation of Kharkiv region from the occupiers, at the beginning of the counter-offensive in the Kharkiv direction. That day, around 5:30 AM, Russian troops carried out an airstrike on the building where Ukrainian defenders were located. Dmytro sustained fatal injuries. On September 8, 2022, the Ukrainian flag flew over Balakliia. Dmytro was buried in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region. Throughout his military career, Cayman received numerous awards, including badges for "Valiant Service," "Sign of Honor," and the Order of Daniel of Galicia, which Dmytro received after the battles for Rubizhne in Luhansk region. Posthumously, the officer was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi III degree. A street in his native Pavlohrad was named in honor of Dmytro. A memorial plaque was installed on the Alley of Memory, and a tree was planted. In Bucha, Kyiv region, a billboard featuring Dmytro Bocharnikov's story and photo is placed on the Alley of Heroes.