Mayor of the City of Cherkasy (since November 24, 2015).
Anatolii Bondarenko has been actively involved in the persecution and violation of the rights of believers and clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) since the spring of 2023.
With the personal support of the mayor, a process of mass falsification of documents related to UOC churches and communities was launched.
From that moment on, Bondarenko began publicly calling for reprisals against Orthodox Christians and inciting hatred.
In addition, Bondarenko personally took part in several church seizures and to this day covers up crimes committed by raiders affiliated with the OCU.
🔴 August 8, 2023 — Mayor Bondarenko published a video in which he called UOC parishioners and clergy “Moscow filth.”
He also declared that he would “cleanse” the city of believers.
This address was a response to the testimony of Archpriest Yevhenii Burkatskyi, rector of the UOC Presentation (Sretenie) Church, which had been seized by OCU raiders.
The clergyman stated that Bondarenko was personally involved in the falsification of documents related to the church.
(Source: YouTube channel “CHERKASY BLAGOVISNYK”)
(Source: “Pershyi Kozatskyi” channel)
🔴 September 22, 2024 Anatolii Bondarenko posted a photo of the St. Michael’s Cathedral of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC on his Instagram page, accompanied by a comment that clearly indicated his intention to “transfer” the church to the OCU.
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🔴 October 17, 2024 — Bondarenko effectively called on Cherkasy activists to forcibly seize St. Michael’s Cathedral and the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC.
🔴 December 12, 2024 During a broadcast on the VIKKA television channel, Mayor of Cherkasy Anatolii Bondarenko continued to incite hatred toward the clergy of the UOC.
The official stated that the state and security services were not doing enough and should act more harshly against priests and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
He said that he had personally participated in meetings of territorial communities concerning the so-called “transfers” of UOC parishes to the OCU and, in his opinion, “the state must act more forcefully in this direction.”
Moreover, Bondarenko referred to UOC clergy as “agents of the FSB of the Russian Federation.”
🔴 May 6, 2025 Mayor Bondarenko personally took part in the seizure of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Compound of the UOC in Cherkasy.
(Source: YouTube channel “CHERKASY BLAGOVISNYK”)
🔴 October 21, 2025 — In an interview with the outlet 18000, Bondarenko effectively promised to take away all remaining UOC churches in Cherkasy.
In addition, the mayor once again called UOC clergy “FSB agents.”
Vicar of the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC-KP (OCU) in the city of Poltava, archpriest of the OCU.
Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS)
A Member of the Verkhovna Rada of the 9th convocation from the Holos party, a consistent advocate of discrimination against and the banning of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; formerly a member of the All-Ukrainian Union “Svoboda.”