Date of Birth: June 26, 1973

Abducted Since: May 7, 2024

Last Known Location: City of Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Region

Sentence: 22 years in prison

Viktor Bondarenko is a priest of the religious organization ‘By grace through faith’ and is also a volunteer and co-founder of the NGO ‘Potok Vosor’. He is married, with two daughters and five grandchildren.

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, his city of Berdiansk was occupied on 27 February 2022. Viktor began to help the city’s inhabitants and provided humanitarian aid to those in need. Later, he began to evacuate people. During one of these evacuations from Mariupol, Viktor’s car was shot at by the Russian military, killing an 85-year-old man. Viktor had just evacuated the elderly man and a woman with three children. After this attack, Viktor continued helping people reach Zaporizhzhia and brought back medication from there to aid the residents.

On April 19, 2022, Viktor and his son-in-law were captured by Russian forces for the first time. After being interrogated and tortured, they were released on the thirteenth day.

After Viktor had recovered a little, he travelled to Zaporizhia several times to bring humanitarian aid for the residents of Berdiansk. There were many elderly people in the city who needed food and medicine. Viktor and his wife did not leave the city so they could continue caring for his elderly parents and church members, whom he had been supporting continuously before his imprisonment.

Abduction

On May 7, 2024, Viktor was abducted by the Russian military near his home in the city of Berdiansk. Until May 29, 2024, there was no information about his whereabouts or health condition. On that day, Russian media reported that he was being held in a pre-trial detention center in Melitopol. It is now known that Viktor is being held in a pre-trial detention facility in the city of Donetsk. He was unlawfully accused of sabotage and sentenced to 22 years in prison. 

Health Condition

Viktor suffers from chronic illnesses: He has hepatitis C and suffers from nine intervertebral hernias as well as high blood pressure. In addition, he had undergone chemotherapy from which he was unable to recover. During his imprisonment, Viktor’s health deteriorated considerably. He complains of pain in his abdomen and back. He finds it difficult to move. He suffers from frequent headaches, impaired vision and memory and constant panic attacks.

Status: As of May 2025

Letter to the Russian Ambassador

Subject: Request for the immediate release of Ukrainian civilian Viktor Bondarenko

Dear Ambassador [INSERT] /Dear Ombudswoman Moskalkova,

I am writing to draw your attention to the arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilian Viktor Bondarenko (born June 26, 1973), who was innocently detained and abducted in the city of Berdyansk on May 7, 2024.

On the morning of May 7, 2024, Viktor Bondarenko, a priest and volunteer from occupied Berdyansk, was abducted by Russian soldiers near his home. Initially, there was no information about his whereabouts for weeks. It later became known that he was being held in a remand prison in Donetsk. Despite his serious chronic illnesses and severely deteriorated state of health, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for alleged “sabotage” in a trial that did not respect the rule of law.

I find the reports of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners in Russian penal camps and pre-trial detention centers particularly disturbing. Viktor Bondarenko is an innocent civilian detained without any legitimate legal basis. The rights and freedoms of the persons concerned must be fully respected and protected.

I appeal to you to advocate for the lawful and humane treatment of all civilian prisoners in Russia, especially the abducted Ukrainians. Please allow him contact with his family and provide him with legal counsel.

Yours sincerely,

Letter to the Ukrainian Authorities

Dear Ambassador [INSERT] /Dear Ombudsman Lubinets,

I am writing to draw your attention to the abduction of Ukrainian civilian Viktor Bondarenko (born June 26, 1973) by the Russian military, who was innocently captured in the city of Berdyansk on May 7, 2024. Please note his fate in the register of missing persons in special circumstances.

On the morning of May 7, 2024, Viktor Bondarenko, a priest and volunteer from occupied Berdyansk, was abducted by Russian soldiers near his home. Initially, there was no information about his whereabouts for weeks. It later became known that he was being held in a remand prison in Donetsk. Despite his serious chronic illnesses and severely deteriorated state of health, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for alleged “sabotage” in a trial that did not respect the rule of law.

I received the information about the prisoner from the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), which is involved in public relations work, appeals and sponsorships for Ukrainian civilian prisoners. The organization is in close contact with family members of the deportees and tries to draw attention to the situation of the deported Ukrainians and the torture to which they are subjected in Russian captivity.

I have made an appeal to the Russian authorities, drawing attention to the situation of Viktor Bondarenko and calling for his release.

Thank you for your tireless work to protect the Ukrainian people and your commitment to the abducted civilians.

Yours sincerely,

Addresses

Ombudswoman of the Russian Federation
Tatyana H. Moskalkova
Smolenskij, d. 19, str. 2
119121 Moscow
Russia

Ombudsman (Human Rights Commissioner) of Ukraine
Dmytro Lubinets
Human Rights Commissioner in the Ukrainian Parliament
Vulica Instytutska, 21/8
01008 Kyiv
Ukraine
Email: hotline@ombudsman.gov.ua

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