Russians send footage of Bohdan Lysenko's death to the journalist's family

Following the death of the Ukrainian Armed Forces officer and former journalist Bohdan Lysenko, his family received a video of his death, the journalist's friend Dmytro Astrashanovych tells UP.Life.

Bohdan Lysenko's death

As reported earlier, Bohdan Lysenko was killed in action on April 13 near Stepove village (Zaporizhzhia oblast).

His son Anton Lysenko told the Requiem project that his father was sitting in the back seat of a car on that day, with another soldier driving. A Russian drone hit the part of the car where Bohdan was. The driver managed to get out and was evacuated by fellow servicemen.

Bohdan Lysenko. Collage by Andriy Kalistratenko. Source: UP.Life

“Then the aggressors sent us a video of Bohdan being killed,” his friend Dmytro told the reporters.

Bohdan Lysenko's relatives and friends spoke with UP. Life about what Bohdan was like throughout his life.

Birth and childhood

Bohdan Lysenko was born in Zhytomyr on March 24, 1966. His mother was a mathematics and physics teacher, and his father was a surgeon from Cameroon. Bohdan was raised by his mother and grandmother after his parents' divorce.

As a child Bohdan often faced racism and bullying due to his appearance. His sister Nadia Stepanenko recalls that this prompted him to take up sports, namely martial arts and boxing. He also had was a master of sports candidate in rowing.

Friends say that Bohdan was inquisitive and courageous. Ever since childhood, he read a lot, was interested in the history of his hometown, and explored the catacombs of Zhytomyr. According to his close friend Dmytro Astrashanovych, they first met as children by chance while playing outside. He remembers Bohdan as an adventurous and resourceful boy who was not afraid to experiment.

Having graduated school, Lysenko enlisted in the I. Karpenko-Karyi University of Theater, Cinema and Television in Kyiv. He majored in filmmaking, worked at the Dovzhenko Film Studio, starred in feature films, and was ivolved in the production of multiple animated films and documentaries.

Journalism and business

Bohdan's career in journalism began in the early 1990s. He worked at Ukrainske Telebachennya and later in print media. Weiting under the pen name Bohdan Lu, he contributed to Zhytomyr and national media outlets such as Fakty, Subota, Ekho. He always worked with a notebook and pen and never used a voice recorded.

He was also involved in business: he founded a knitwear workshop and was later engaged in car sales.

History research

He loved to visit the Zhytomyr archive. He independently researched the "Himmler's HQ" — the spot near Zhytomyr where a Nazi Germany officer's bunker likely used to be located. He was interested in military history and did his own research in forests.

In 2014, Bohdan worked in the ATO zone. He made trips to Crimea and the Donbas. He was once taken prisoner in Donetsk, beaten, tied up, and threatened with execution. He was freed three days later thanks to volunteers' efforts.

Civic stance and the war

Bohdan was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity in 2013–2014, took photographs on the Maidan. With the beginning of the war in the Donbas, he joined the Donbass Battalion and later the Harpoon and the Pravyi Sector. He served in intelligence, was a reconnaissance sniper.

Following the start of the full-scale war in February 2022, he volunteered to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fought in an airborne assault brigade. After being wounded, he transferred to the TDF. He was a deputy company commander and had an officer rank.

Impressions by fellow servicemen

Army chaplain Oleksandr Yarmushko remembers Bohdan as a collected, deep, and intelligent person. Canadian instructor Peter says that Lysenko sought not just to survive the war, but to train his comrades as best as possible.

Remembrance

Bohdan Lysenko was buried at the Smolyanske Military Cemetery in Zhytomyr. He was awarded decorations by the President and the Ministry of Defense, medals for participation in the ATO, for being wounded, and for his sacrifice in battles.

Bohdan is survived by five children: a son and four daughters. The youngest is turning 18 in September.

According to the Institute of Mass Information, Bohdan Lysenko is the 106th media worker to die in the course of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.