A pastor of an Evangelical church from the Ukrainian city of Berdyansk has been sentenced by the Russian occupation authorities to 22 years in prison, purportedly for “terrorism.” His imprisonment has severely damaged his health, but securing his release is virtually impossible.
The pastor’s story is featured in a film made by members of the Activatica media project with the support of the Estonian nonprofit organization MTÜ SupportNet. In its project dedicated to prisoners in Russia, Activatica draws attention to the system of terror imposed in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
The film says that Viktor Bondarenko was abducted on May 7, 2024, when he went out to walk his dog. It was the second time Bondarenko had been abducted. The first time, he was seized on April 19, 2022, and held in a “torture chamber” for 12 days before being released on the condition that he “report” to Russian security forces every day.
It is unknown exactly what happened to Viktor Bondarenko after he was detained in 2024. According to the International Society for Human Rights, Viktor’s health has deteriorated significantly during his imprisonment. He has nine herniated spinal discs, hepatitis C and high blood pressure. He suffers from abdominal and back pain, has difficulty walking, experiences panic attacks, and has worsening eyesight and memory.
Viktor Bondarenko was charged with “sabotage committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy or by an organized group,” “participation in a sabotage organization,” and other “crimes.”
Viktor Bondarenko has lived in Berdyansk for almost his entire life. He underwent training and became a minister in an Evangelical charismatic church. He handled administrative and practical duties, took part in church missions to penal colonies in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and visited hospitals to support people. After the occupation of Berdyansk began on February 28, 2022, he helped local residents obtain food and medicine.
After his second detention on May 7, 2024, Viktor’s relatives heard nothing about him for three weeks, until May 29, when they saw a report by ASTRA. It said that Bondarenko had been detained in Melitopol and accused of blowing up a sewage pumping station and power transmission line pylons in 2022.
On December 30, 2024, the occupation-controlled “Zaporizhzhia Regional Court” found Viktor Bondarenko guilty and sentenced him to 22 years and one month of imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony, including two years and two months in prison.
As LF reported, since the start of the war against Ukraine, the Russian authorities have secured at least 35 convictions of religious figures.
For more on how the occupation authorities persecute believers, read our article, “Christians Under Occupation: How Russia Is Destroying Religious Freedom in Ukraine.”
