Switch Language

Alena Bondarchuk

who

Cooks

birthday

1981-11-29

current location

Не в России

region

Rostov-on-Don

View in the Persecution Database

Biography

From 2018 to March 2022, Alena served in the Ukrainian special-purpose regiment "Azov" as a cook with the military rank of soldier. She was captured on 17 March 2022 during the fighting in Mariupol. She was accused of participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation and violent seizure and retention of power. Human rights activists noted that she was a prisoner of war, so she should not have been held criminally liable actually for participation in hostilities, and in addition, they consider the charges absurd.

On 13 September 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Bondarchuk had returned to Ukraine

... More

From 2018 to March 2022, Alena served in the Ukrainian special-purpose regiment "Azov" as a cook with the military rank of soldier. She was captured on 17 March 2022 during the fighting in Mariupol. She was accused of participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation and violent seizure and retention of power. Human rights activists noted that she was a prisoner of war, so she should not have been held criminally liable actually for participation in hostilities, and in addition, they consider the charges absurd.

On 13 September 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Bondarchuk had returned to Ukraine as part of the exchange. On 26 March 2025, she was sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison.

NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW

Unless someone writes about it. OVD-Info is often the sole source for news on repression, while also providing legal aid to political prisoners. We depend entirely on your support to continue. Join our recurring donors to keep these stories—and people—from being forgotten.

STAND WITH US