Olena Anatoliivna Bondarenko

Not to be confused with Olena Fedorivna Bondarenko.

Olena Anatoliivna Bondarenko (née Kovalenko) (Ukrainian: Олена Анатоліївна Бондаренко) is a Ukrainian journalist, a former People's Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 1st Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Verkhovna Rada on freedom of speech and information; Head of Subcommittee of Television and Radio Broadcasting Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on freedom of speech and information. Member of the Party of Regions grouping since May 2006. In 2012 she was re-elected into parliament on the party list of Party of Regions.[1]

Biography

Bondarenko was born on 26 May 1974, in Makeevka, Donetsk oblast', her father is a miner, and her mother is a nurse.[2][3]

Education

In 1991 Bondarenko entered Donetsk State University, Department of History. When at the third year, she entered the Faculty of related and complementary disciplines, with a qualification in journalism. In 1996 she graduated from both faculties.[4][5][6]
In 2004 Olena Bondarenko graduated from the Department of Administrative Management, Donetsk State Academy of Management.[7]

Career

Co-working with Borys Kolesnikov, who in 2003 headed the Donetsk regional branch of Party of Regions, predetermined further political career of Bondarenko. She not only became the personal media consultant for Boris Kolesnikov, but also was one of the key players in the team. She managed to create an effective press service and ensure smooth communication between People's Deputies and Kolesnikov and the media.

Activities related to Verkhovna Rada

In 2007 during parliamentary elections Bondarenko led the Department of Communications of the central campaign office of the Party of Regions. Since December 2007 she's been the member of the Committee on freedom of speech and information, Party of Regions faction member since November 2007, member of Ukrainian National Union of Journalists, member of the Party of Regions.[14][15]

In 2012 she was re-elected into parliament on the party list of Party of Regions.[1]

Bondarenko did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[16]

Criticism

In January of 2014, a deleted Facebook comment of Myroslava Gongadze reported she was banned from entering the United States again. [17]

Bondarenko has been the topic of increased concern with regards to human rights in Ukraine. After a special session of parliament on January 29, 2014, Bondarenko agreed to an interview during which activists gathered around her showing various pictures of journalists who were either beaten or murdered by police during the protests in Kiev. After being asked whether she was saddened by the violence, Bondarenko coldly responded that journalist are in a zone of war and quickly left the room. [18]

On the 10th of September 2014, she wrote a testimonial about the alarming situation of human rights of the opposition in Ukraine [19]

Family

References

External links

See also