Andrey Bocharov


Andrey Ivanovich Bocharov, is a Russian politician and former military officer who serves as Governor of Volgogradskaya Oblast.
He served as a deputy in the State Duma of the Russian Federation for the fifth and sixth convocations from 2007 to 2012, and as Deputy Governor of the Bryanskaya Oblast from 2005 to 2007. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation in 1996.

Career

Andrei Bocharov was born in Barnaul on 14 October 1969. As a child, he moved to the Starodubsky District of the Bryanskaya Oblast with his family. In 1987 he graduated from the Moscow Suvorov Military School and enrolled in the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School.

Military

In 1991, Bocharov graduated from the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. He then took on positions such as platoon commander, commander of the Parachute Battalion, and served in the airborne troops. He was also a senior officer in the military unit headquarters and served in the 104th Guards Airborne Division at Ulyanovsk.

The First Chechen War and the title of Hero of Russia

Andrey Bocharov took part in the First Chechen Campaign, leading the reconnaissance in March 1995. During this time, he managed to capture a key militant defense site in the village of Komsomolsk, where there were up to 40 militants. Bocharov killed 16 militants and captured three prisoners. In 20 July 1996, Bocharov was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation for courage and heroism by the Presidential Decree number 1064.

Political activity

Bocharov has held many political titles. In December 1998, he became the Chairman of the Union of Heroes of Russia Council. He then became the Deputy Governor of the Bryansk region in January 2005. Between 2007 and 2012, he acted as the Deputy of the State Duma, before becoming the Chief Federal Inspector in the Bryansk region between October 2012 and August 2013. After this, he became the head of the executive committee of the federal headquarters ONF and, on 2 April 2014, was appointed as the acting governor of Volgogradskay Oblast by presidential decree. He assumed office on 24 September, 2014, after achieving over 88% of the vote.

The Governor of the Volgograd Oblast

In order to become the Governor of the Volgograd Oblast, Bocharov defeated Nikolai Parshin, a State Duma deputy from the Communist Party, who was later prosecuted for criminal activity. Andrey Bocharov supported investigations, stating that the fight against corruption must be carried out regardless of positions and party regalia and hinted that "there are more strong shocks and high-profile revelations ahead".

Controversy

Andrei Bocharov has been openly associated with the criminal case against Volgograd political blogger Andreya Devyatkina, who has been placed in a psychiatric hospital. Bocharov did not, however, appear in the official case.
Bocharov has also tried to obtain federal funds for the revival of chemical enterprise VOAO "Khimprom".
In November, 2016, Bocharov was the victim of attempted arson, which has also been referred to as attempted murder. The suspect has not been named, but investigators claim that the attempt was connected to Bocharov's political involvement.