St. Petersburg Police Officers Awarded for Bravery, One Posthumously

At a meeting of the collegium of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) for St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region, two state awards were presented. The ceremony was conducted by the head of the directorate, Lieutenant General Roman Pluguin.

The Medal for Bravery was awarded to retired police senior sergeant Arthur Bardakov. In April 2024, during a call to Angliysky Prospekt where a man was threatening suicide, Bardakov shielded medics from a man armed with a pistol. While attempting to disarm the attacker, the officer sustained a severe penetrating spinal cord injury with damage to the spinal cord.

The Main Directorate of the MVD reported: «As a result of the injury, Arthur Bardakov has lost sensation from chest level down and has no movement in his legs or torso. He is currently undergoing inpatient treatment at a rehabilitation center.»

Posthumously, the Medal for Distinction in Protecting Public Order was awarded to police lieutenant Dmitry Semenovykh. On April 23, 2024, the 24-year-old operational officer of the criminal investigation department of the Kingisepp District Police Department attempted to detain a suspect in Kingisepp and received a fatal knife wound to the neck. The police officer died on the way to the station.

The suspect was found almost two days later in a forest, where he resisted arrest with two knives during detention. Dmitry Semenovykh is survived by his wife, young daughter, and parents. The award for courage, bravery, and selflessness was received by the deceased«s mother. The directorate stated that the operative»s family has been taken under care and is receiving all necessary assistance.