Detention: On March 13, 2024, Russian security forces abducted Viktor Mykolayovych Bondarenko, a pastor of an evangelical church and a volunteer from Berdyansk. He was detained on the street while walking his dog. His family did not know his whereabouts for almost three weeks. It was later revealed that he was held in a Melitopol detention facility and later transferred to a pre-trial detention centre in occupied Donetsk. Russian forces accused Bondarenko of allegedly sabotaging a transformer substation, power lines, participating in a 'sabotage-reconnaissance group,' and collaborating with the Azov regiment. Family and human rights defenders claim all charges were fabricated, and 'confessions' were obtained under torture. In April 2022, he was previously abducted along with his son-in-law, held for 13 days, beaten, and tortured, but was released then.

Sentence: On December 3, 2024, an illegal court in occupied Donetsk sentenced Viktor Bondarenko to 22 years in a high-security colony and a fine of 1 million Russian rubles. He is to serve the first three years in prison, with the remainder in a high-security colony. The occupation court also confiscated his car. On April 17, 2025, the appellate court upheld the sentence. Subsequently, Viktor was transferred through several Russian pre-trial detention centres and later moved to the notorious 'Vladimir Central' prison. Human rights defenders emphasize that his health significantly deteriorated during the transfer, and he is not receiving necessary medical care.

Viktor Mykolayovych Bondarenko was born on June 21, 1973, in the village of Vyshnivchyk, Khmelnytskyi region, but spent most of his life in Berdyansk. He is a pastor of the Charismatic Evangelical Church of Ukraine and has been involved in charity and social work for many years. Before the full-scale war, he led a rehabilitation center for people with addictions and the homeless, helped those in need, and was well-known in the city as a volunteer.

Since 2014, Bondarenko organized the evacuation of people from frontline areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. After the occupation of Berdyansk in 2022, he and his family continued to assist civilians, providing humanitarian aid to hundreds of families and evacuating residents of Berdyansk and Mariupol to Ukrainian-controlled territory. According to his daughter, in the first months of the full-scale invasion alone, the family helped nearly 900 people and evacuated over 400 civilians from dangerous areas.

The occupiers were displeased with Viktor's volunteer activities, and on April 19, 2022, he was detained along with his relatives. The men were released after 13 days of intense interrogations and torture. Even after this, Viktor and his wife did not leave Berdyansk, as there was no one to care for his elderly parents, for whom he was the only son (his father is 84 years old, and his mother is 78). For the elderly, moving at such an age is akin to a fire or death,” he added.

However, the persecution did not stop there. He was regularly summoned for interrogations, constantly seeking formal grounds for new charges and potential arrest.

Due to his religious beliefs, Viktor has not consumed alcohol for over 25 years. Despite this, he was accused of allegedly driving under the influence. On March 13, 2024, the Berdyansk Interdistrict 'court' of Zaporizhzhia region sentenced him under Article 264.1 of the Russian Criminal Code to 300 hours of community service and revoked his driving license for two years.

It later became known that during this time, he was held in one of the pre-trial detention centres in occupied Crimea, where he was tortured and forced to confess to allegedly sabotaging power lines and a pumping station in Berdyansk. Later, charges of participating in a 'sabotage-reconnaissance group' and collaborating with the Azov regiment were added.

On April 29, he was transferred to Melitopol and placed in a temporary detention facility. Court hearings took place in Donetsk.

After being abducted again in May 2024, Viktor Bondarenko was kept in complete isolation for a long time. According to family and human rights defenders, he was subjected to physical and psychological pressure to force him to sign 'confessions.' Only weeks later did the family learn that he was held in Melitopol and later transferred to a pre-trial detention centre in occupied Donetsk. The Russian side accused the pastor of alleged sabotage activities and collaboration with Ukrainian military forces, but no independent evidence of these charges was presented.

On December 3, 2024, an illegal court in occupied Donetsk sentenced Viktor Bondarenko to 22 years in a high-security colony, imposed a fine of 1 million Russian rubles, and ordered the confiscation of his car. On April 17, 2025, the appellate court upheld the sentence. Subsequently, the pastor was transferred through several Russian pre-trial detention centres to the 'Vladimir Central' prison, known for its harsh conditions.

During the transfer, he was held in Taganrog's Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2, Kirov's Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1, one of the detention centres in Altai, and later transported to a prison in Vladimir, where he is to serve the initial years of his unlawfully imposed sentence.

According to family information, Viktor Bondarenko's health sharply deteriorated while in captivity. He has serious chronic illnesses but is not receiving necessary medical care. Human rights defenders have repeatedly stated that the lack of proper treatment poses a real threat to his life. Despite this, the detention facility administration continues to ignore the family's and lawyers' requests for medical examination.

Viktor Bondarenko's story has become a symbol of the persecution of clergy and volunteers in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. His long-standing humanitarian work, evacuation of civilians from conflict zones, and assistance to those under occupation drew the attention of Russian security forces. Ukrainian human rights organizations emphasize that the case is politically motivated and an example of repression against those who supported the civilian population and remained loyal to Ukraine.

As of July 5, 2026, Viktor Bondarenko remains unlawfully imprisoned in Russia. Ukraine, international human rights organizations, and religious communities demand his immediate release, provision of adequate medical care, and adherence to international humanitarian law standards.

Information used from open sources: Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrinform, Radio Liberty, Berdyansk City Military Administration.

Photo: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Date of update: 06.07.2026