Updated: April 19, 2024
Name: Ponomarenko Lyudmila Ivanovna
Date of Birth: May 11, 1950
Current status: who has served the main sentence
Articles of Criminal Code of Russian Federation: 282.2 (2)
Sentence: punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 2 years, a sentence of imprisonment shall be considered conditional with a probationary period of 1 year

Biography

In May 2019, Lyudmila Ponomarenko, a pensioner from Rostov-on-Don, was searched. Later, the believer was accused of participating in extremist activities. In May 20201, the court found her guilty and sentenced her to 2 years of probation.

Lyudmila was born in 1950 in the village of Ola (Magadan Region), but has been living in Rostov-on-Don since the age of 9. His mother was a believer and worked as an accountant in a garment factory. She was able to instill faith in her two daughters.

As a child, Lyudmila was engaged in rhythmic gymnastics, read a lot and often visited the library. She graduated from high school and construction college. After receiving a diploma of secondary technical education, she got a job as an economist in the construction department, and later worked at the plant as an electrician.

For more than 20 years, Lyudmila has been leading a Christian lifestyle. For many years she had a desire to know the Bible and understand what was written in it. She was greatly impressed by the personal name of the Creator, which she saw in the Bible. She was also struck by the fact that from this book you can learn about God's plans. Knowing God's laws and applying them in life helped to preserve the marriage, improve family relationships, and raise two daughters.

Now Lyudmila is retired, she has two grandchildren. She is engaged in household chores, caring for her husband, who is seriously ill. She devotes her free time to reading and crocheting toys.

The difficult circumstances in which Lyudmila found herself affected the whole family. Although her relatives do not share her religious beliefs, they sincerely do not understand why their wife, mother, and grandmother were convicted. The daughters are concerned about the health of their parents, since after the search, interrogations, investigation and trial, both of them were seriously shaken.

Case History

At the age of 70, Lyudmila Ponomarenko from Rostov-on-Don unexpectedly found herself in the dock on charges of extremist activity. In the spring of 2019, law enforcement officers came to the apartment of a pensioner caring for her seriously ill husband with a search. The First Investigation Department (based in Rostov-on-Don) of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal case against the believer under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code for participation in worship services and preaching. In the fall of 2020, hearings began in the Leninsky District Court under the chairmanship of Judge Alexander Osipov. During the hearing, one of the prosecution witnesses stated that his testimony had been falsified and that investigator A. A. Chaikin had made threats. On May 18, 2021, the judge of the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, Alexander Osipov, sentenced the elderly believer to 2 years of suspended imprisonment.