The Azov Brigade was headed by Bohdan Grishenkov. What is known about him
18 April 20:19
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Grishenkov (call sign “Pugach”) has been appointed as the new commander of the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the Azov National Guard, having served in the brigade for almost 10 years.
This was reported on the brigade’s website, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
He has worked his way up from an ordinary soldier to company commander, chief of staff and battalion commander.
“The new brigadier takes over the brigade at the moment of its greatest development. He will do everything possible for the effective work of the unit in cooperation with other brigades of the 1st Corps of the Azov National Guard,” the statement said.
The day before, on April 15, the National Guard of Ukraine created the 1st Azov Corps on the basis of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade, headed by Colonel Denys Prokopenko (call sign “Redis”).
What is known about Bohdan Grishenkov
Bohdan Hryshenkov was born on October 20, 1993, in the city of Sloviansk, Donetsk region.
Before the de-occupation of his hometown on July 5, 2014, he did not plan to connect his life with the army – he was influenced by volunteers. He joined the Azov special forces unit on May 8, 2015.
In February 2020, he was appointed commander of one of the Azov companies. Bohdan Hryshenkov met Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Mariupol, defending the city in one of the most difficult areas. During the battles for Azovstal on May 10, 2022, he received a bullet wound.
On May 20 of the same year, Pugach, together with the command of the Mariupol garrison headed by Denys Prokopenko, followed the order of the Ukrainian military leadership and left the territory of Azovstal as one of the last groups.
After that, he and other Azov prisoners of war were taken to the colony in Olenivka. On the night of July 29, 2022, the occupation forces blew up the barracks where Bohdan was staying – he received numerous shrapnel wounds to his head, arms and legs, and lost two toes.
Bohdan Hryshenkov was released from Russian captivity on September 21, 2022. After rehabilitation, Bohdan returned to service with Azov.
His comrade-in-arms said that thanks to his extensive combat experience, he quickly and efficiently organized the work in his company during the summer counteroffensive of 2023.
In July 2023, Pugach was appointed first deputy commander of the 1st Battalion of the 12th Azov Brigade. In February 2024, he became the battalion commander. Under his leadership, the unit conducted offensive and defensive operations in the Serebryansky Forest and in the Toretsk sector, the brigade said in a statement.
For almost 11 years of service, Bohdan received 12 state awards, including the Silver Cross, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III degree, the Order of Courage, III degree, and others.
