"Do not believe the tears"

The story of a Ukrainian who dreamed of moving from Ukraine to Russia, but became a defendant in the case of espionage

The first Western District Military Court sentenced the 22-year-old Ukrainian Bogdan Bogomazov to 19 years in a maximum security colony with the stay of the first three years in prison. He was found guilty of the commission of three serious crimes: espionage in favor of Ukrainian special services, organizing a terrorist attack, and preparing a terrorist attack on their own assignment. Bogomazov himself did not plead guilty, and his lawyer insisted that the Ukrainian loves Russia and wanted to build a new life here.

"I admit - I will get the minimum period"

In the aquarium of the hall of the military court, holding hands in his pockets, there is a young man with a little disheveled hair. He depicts two security forces in balaclavas on his sweatshirt, and the signature: “1993. Do not believe the tears. " He builds faces to journalists, but as soon as the meeting begins, he immediately becomes serious. After the permission of Judge Yuri Kozlov, the young man takes the word:

- Your honor, I would like to start with the fact that I consider myself innocent, and I refuse the readings received earlier because they were received under pressure and with the use of threats to my family members. In particular, in relation to parents, conduct an audit, deprive citizenship and send to Ukraine. They also gave me the “word of the officer” that if I fully plead guilty, I will receive the minimum period - 6 years, and if I do not admit, then 20. The investigator noted that, due to the current political situation, no judge would pronounce me an acquittal.

Bogdan Bogomazov is 22 years old, he was born in the family of Shakhtar and lawyers in the Donetsk region. Even before the start of the military conflict in the Donbass in 2014, his family left for Kharkov. He met on February 24, 2022 at the age of 18.

As the “new” mother of Bogdan Natalya Bogomazova told, only her daughter managed to leave the borders from Kharkov. In the city there were military liable father of the family, Bogdan, as well as his grandmother, a minor brother and Natalya herself.

In court, Bogdan said that one day the shell hit their house. But this, according to the young man, "did not affect his psyche."

- In the morning you wake up once, and you have nothing, nothing at all. Nearby you are falling up at home, rockets fly, cars explode. After all this, you come to Russia, everything is stabilizing, and here ...

Back in Ukraine, Bogdan supplemented in court, along with his friend Nikita Shevchenko created the pro -Russian news channel Runews ( this channel could not be found. - D.I. ). At the same time, Bogdan worked with his family in the Red Cross. At the end of June 2022, through the Zaporizhzhya region, which was already under the control of Russia, they left for St. Petersburg, where they opened the copy center, and Bogdan himself entered the economic university. At the same time, he allegedly continued to lead the channel along with Shevchenko living in Ukraine. According to investigators, Shevchenko served in Ukrainian intelligence.

SBU agent, Mossad and Pope Carlo

According to Natalia, Bogdan constantly joked that he was an “SBU agent” and other special services:

- Bogdan wrote to his girlfriend: “I am an agent of the SBU, I work for Mossad and Pope Carlo. Baby, don’t worry, I work for everyone. ”

The young man was detained at the end of November 2023 just at home at his girlfriend. After the security forces, he went to his parental apartment. There, law enforcement officers found elements of a Nazi uniform and a portrait of General Rommel. According to Natalia, her sons decided to print a portrait after watching a historical film. Bogdan spoke about the elements of form in court that he kept all this “fun”.

After the search, the young man handed his phone to the investigation - his correspondence was in the case.

Lily

Bogdan was accused of several difficult articles: espionage (Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), preparation of the attack (part 1 of article 30, Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and the leadership of the terrorist attack (part 4 of article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

According to investigators, Bogdan transferred to his friend Nikita Shevchenko data on Russian citizens and under the guidance of a “stronghold” and his comrade from Kharkov studied the railway “streams” for the future terrorist attack.

Also, SK believes, Bogdan, under the pseudonym, “Lilia” placed on social networks posts with calls to set fire to military cars. According to the investigation, he contacted a resident of Sterlitamak to commit a terrorist attack. The young man from Bashkortostan talked with the supposedly Bogomazov under the control of the FSB. Records of these calls appear in the case file. According to their examination, it was Bogdan who organized terrorist attacks in Sterlitamak.

Bogdan told in court that in November 2023, a man with the nickname "Oplot", who talked with Bogdan in conjunction with Nikita Shevchenko, got in touch with him. The stronghold, according to Bogdan, sent him an intelligence, but the young man did not fulfill him.

Bogdan denied any involvement in Sterlitamak and explosions in the city.

Shevchenko after the detention of Bogdan stopped in touch with his loved ones.

"I already want to leave the country"

After the detention of Bogdan, all his loved ones left Russia except her mother and grandmother - she cannot leave for health reasons. The copy center, which the Bogomazov family opened in St. Petersburg, Natalya sold. I spent the money to defend my son.

- I just want to end this whole story with my son and leave the country.

Social justice

The last meeting in the Bogdan case took place on April 30, 2025 (the process itself went seven months, unusually long for a military court). During this time, Bogdan and his lawyer Dmitry Tikhonenkov managed to announce the discharge of the judge more than once, unsuccessfully tried to challenge the examination of the call record and call the former girl the accused as a witness.

In the debate, the prosecutor Natalya Tskkkalo spoke about those episodes that Bogomazova is not charged with. She said that in the correspondence of the young man and the girl found the messages “14/88” ( Nazi symbols denoting the name of Adolf Hitler. - D.I. ), a video with the Russian military and a message that Bogdan would go to fight on the side of Ukraine.

Defender Dmitry Tikhonenkov insisted that the examination, according to which Lily was determined precisely as Bogdan, was carried out with gross violations.

The state prosecutor requested a maximum security colony for Bogomazov 24 years: supposedly for the restoration of social justice. The court appointed the accused for 19 years.

Danila Istomin, for "New", St. Petersburg