Half of the policemen stayed with me until the victory, - Trostyantsa police chief Volodymyr Bohachev
The police lieutenant colonel, who instead of retiring chose to fight crime, even during the occupation of the city remained true to the oath. The determination and courage of the law enforcement officer motivated the personnel of the police department, most of whom were on site and followed the instructions of the head.
Head of the police department №1 m. Trostyanets of Sumy region Vladimir Bogachev has strong experience in operational services and in managerial positions. He devoted more than thirty years to service in the internal affairs bodies, with which he even tried to say goodbye.
“After the army in 1989, he came to serve in the militia. He worked all the time in operational units, in criminal search. In 2014, he retired, managed to work in private enterprises, but in 2019 he returned to the service, to which he gave most of his life,” says the police officer.
For more than a year, Vladimir Bogachev headed the Trostyanets police, was responsible for public safety and monitored the crime situation in the city. Until the war came to Sumy region.
“On February 24, after receiving operational information, the personnel raised the alarm. When everyone arrived at the department, he proved that the war had begun, that he would have to defend the state, perform other tasks than they had before. After that, he gave instructions to prepare for the defense of the administrative building, as well as to prepare for the evacuation criminal proceedings, weapons, material evidence, as well as the destruction of secret documentation that was not subject to evacuation,” Vladimir Bogachev recalls.
As long as the operational situation allowed, Vladimir distributed tasks to the personnel who ensured the protection of public order, identified looters, provided psychological and medical assistance, organized the evacuation of the population.
“In about two weeks, the Russian military began to find out where local police officers live, where their families are. The occupiers began to walk around the houses and try to detain someone, some were taken captive and tortured. In order to preserve personnel, he instructed employees who had young children to leave the city,” the law enforcement official said.
However, the head of the police himself could get into the torture chambers of the Russian military. Because local collaborators handed over the addresses of police officers, so they had to constantly change locations.
On March 26, the Armed Forces of Ukraine entered the city, which was met by the chief of police of Trostianets Volodymyr Bogachev, and on March 28 the first working day of the department took place. The police began to register criminal offenses, including war crimes.
“After the capture, there were a large number of Russian troops in the city, but we did not stop clarifying work with the residents that they were not left alone, so that everything would be fine, that the enemy would be defeated, and no one would give Ukraine away. However, saboteurs and collaborators were still detected, but not detained, because they did not have such an opportunity. We collected information about these criminals and passed it on to the relevant services. So after the de-occupation of the city, we registered 95 war crimes,” the law enforcement official added.
For the conscientious performance of official duties and loyalty to the Ukrainian people, as well as personal courage and heroism shown during the repulse of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, Volodymyr Bohachev was awarded the award of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine “Firearms” - Glock-17.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
