Case of Kovadnev and others in Komsomolsk-on-Amur Irina Bondareva

 RUSSIA

Case of Kovadnev and others in Komsomolsk-on-Amur

Irina Bondareva

Updated: August 31, 2023

Name: Bondareva, Irina Vladimirovna

Date of Birth: September 6, 1961

Current status: suspect

Article of the Russian Criminal Code: 282.2 (1.1)

Current restrictions: summon to report

Biography

A series of difficulties in the life of Irina Bondareva began with the death of her husband, then she became seriously ill with Covid, and soon the police invaded her home - in May 2023, the woman’s home was searched. Irina and her son Vasily became defendants in a criminal case because of their peaceful religious beliefs.

Irina was born in 1961 in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. She has an older sister and a younger brother. His father was a cabinetmaker, his mother was an insulator. Both parents are no longer alive.

As a child, Irina was fond of drawing and sewing clothes. Starting from the 6th grade, I sewed my own school uniform. She also loved to read and was enrolled in three libraries. In winter I went ice skating and sledding.

After school, her father, who worked in a furniture shop, hired Irina as a veneer compositor. Later she moved to the city of Snezhny (Ukraine) and got a job as a graphic designer at a factory. Then, returning to her hometown, she continued to work as an artist in thermal networks.

In the 1990s, Irina got married and gave birth to a son and daughter. She was laid off at work, so she decided to work at home, completing courses in machine knitting and embroidery. She also learned to sew hats. At the end of the design courses, a solo exhibition was organized at the local art museum. Irina has been sewing hats as works of art for 10 years. Now, in her free time, Irina works at her summer cottage and still loves to read.

Irina was the first in the family to become interested in the Bible. She recalls: “I was always looking for God. I will never forget how one day I prayed fervently in the evening, and the next morning Jehovah's Witnesses came to me and left a book that helped me learn about God. I read it in a day, checking it with my Bible. Everything came together in my head like a picture from a puzzle. I realized that I had found the truth.” In 1993, Irina decided to take the Christian path. Later, her older sister and mother joined her.

In 1996, the Bondarev couple had a son, Vasily. Biblical moral standards were instilled in him from childhood, and at the age of 18 he also decided to become a Christian.

Criminal prosecution undermined Irina’s health. “But most of all I worry about my son Vasily, because because of his criminal record he may lose his job,” the believer complains.

Brief history of the case

In May 2023, civilians in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, as well as the village of Khurba and the village of Molodezhny, were subjected to night searches because of their religion. The Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Region opened a criminal case against 8 believers - Vasily and Irina Bondarev, Sergey and Ulita Sachnev, Nikolai Kovadnev, Ivan Nikitin, Mikhail Dorofeev, Radion Shitov, Marina Voitko and Svetlana Zharkova. They are charged with involvement in the activities of a banned organization.

Criminal case

Region:

Khabarovsk Territory

Locality:

Komsomolsk-on-Amur

Case number:

12302080009000073

Initiated:

May 4, 2023

Current stage of the case:

preliminary investigation

Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:

282.2 (1.1)