Ponomarenko Yuriy

Name: Ponomarenko Yuriy Viktorovich
Date of Birth: September 11, 1958
Current status: convicted person
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (1)
Current restrictions: suspended sentence
Sentence: punishment in the form of 6 years 5 months of imprisonment, with deprivation of the right to engage in activities related to leadership and participation in the work of religious organizations for a term of 3 years, with restriction of liberty for a term of 1 year 6 months, a sentence of imprisonment shall be considered suspended with a probationary period of 5 years

Biography

Yuriy Ponomarenko, an electrician from the Primorsky Territory, faced criminal prosecution for believing in God. He underwent several searches, the believer was placed under recognizance agreement and included in the list of extremists of Rosfinmonitoring.

Yuriy was born in September 1958 in the city of Ussuriysk (Primorsky Territory), since 1970 he has been living in the Pozharsky District of the Primorsky Territory.

As a child, Yuriy attended a local history circle, led a school vocal and instrumental ensemble. After school he worked as a car electrician, then after the army he received a special education and became a driver. In recent years, Yuriy has been working as an auto electrician at the Primorskaya hydroelectric power plant. In his free time he likes to pick mushrooms and work in the country.

With his wife Lyubov, Yuriy has been married for over 35 years. The couple love to meet with friends, go to the forest together.

Yuriy always watched the creations and came to the conclusion that everything could not appear by itself. His wife started reading the Bible. In this book, Yuriy found answers to his questions and in 1995, together with Love, embarked on the Christian path.

Yuriy says: “After the searches, the feeling that you are constantly under surveillance does not leave. Due to constant stress, health has deteriorated, chronic diseases have worsened, because of the blocking of bank cards, there have been difficulties with receiving a salary. "

Relatives, colleagues and acquaintances of Yuriy do not understand why this hard-working elderly man is being persecuted.

Case History

In July 2021, Yuriy Ponomarenko’s home was searched in Luchegorsk. The Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case against him on suspicion of organizing the activity of an extremist organization. In November of the same year, as part of the Ponomarenko case, another search was carried out: in the home of Oleg Sergeyev. He was charged under the same article. In March 2022, two more defendants appeared in the case: Andrey Lyakhov and Nikolay Dikhtyar were charged with participating in the activity of an extremist organization. In June 2022, the criminal case against the believers went to court. Almost two years later, in May 2024, the believers were given suspended sentences ranging from two and a half to six and a half years. Later, at the request of the prosecutor, the court of appeal reduced the term of each of the believers by one month.
Timeline
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