Bolotov claimed to be a senior sergeant of the Soviet Airborne Troops in Vitebsk (presumably the 103rd Guards Airborne Division)[lower-alpha 1] and between 1989 and 1990 participated in a number of conflicts including Tbilisi,[lower-alpha 2] Yerevan and Karabakh.[lower-alpha 3][5] He later became the head of the airborne veterans group, while no one of the Luhansk Oblast group cell can confirm it.[5] Bolotov was married and had two children.[5]