As described in his official biography, Bobkov was personally engaged in resolving ethnic conflicts in the Soviet Union, including Sumgait pogrom, Events in Vilnius, 1989 pogroms in the Fergana valley in Uzbekistan, Almaty revolt in 1986, January 1991 events in Latvia, and many others. However, all these conflicts were organized by the KGB itself to justify the importance of the Soviet secret services, according to CPSU Politburo member Alexander Yakovlev.