[2] He graduated from the North Caucasus Suvorov Military School in Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz) in 1967,[2] and joined the Soviet Army that same year.

[2] In 1979, Major Bulgakov graduated from the Military Academy of Armored Forces named after Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya.

[4][2] In 1987, he became the chief of staff - deputy commander of a motorized rifle division in the Belarusian military district (Grodno city).

[5][2] In 1989, he became the commander of the 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division in the Northern Group of Forces in Poland.

[2] In 1993, he became the commander of the 166th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the Moscow Military District, formed from the division.

He was an active participant in the hostilities during the First Chechen War, he led the fighting in the spring and summer of 1995 in the mountainous part of Chechnya, in particular, operations to capture the regional centers of Vedeno and Shatoi.