Oleh Bondarenko

Biography

Oleh Bondarenko became a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament of the 9th convocation in 2019, elected on the “Servant of the People” party list (#60). In the Verkhovna Rada, he became Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management.

Timeline of Key Events

2026

Voted in the first reading for the controversial draft Civil Code (15150) submitted by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk. The 803-page draft, which the Ministry of Justice had not managed to review within three weeks of registration, was fast-tracked through parliament. The legislative initiative contained provisions allowing for the carve-up of state and municipal property—forests, coastlines, and subsoil resources. Additionally, the project contained risks to freedom of speech. Following the parliamentary vote, street protests broke out in several regions. A petition demanding a veto garnered over 25,000 signatures on the first day of registration. Judges of the Supreme Court also expressed substantial objections. The draft Civil Code, which had not undergone proper discussion, effectively destroyed judicial practice developed over 20 years.

2025

Supported the so-called “Ihor Mazepa Law” (Draft Law 12089), although he himself had emphasised its risks during a meeting of the Legal Committee. The legislative initiative essentially reflected the demands of unscrupulous businesses and provided for the “resetting” of claims regarding illegally acquired forests and coastal lands if ten years had passed since they entered private ownership. Despite a petition demanding a veto gathering over 25,000 signatures, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the document. The first victim of the “Ihor Mazepa Law” was the case concerning Protasiv Yar, which was defended by the late scout and Kyiv resident Roman Ratushnyi.

Supported Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk’s controversial bill to abolish the Commercial Code of Ukraine (#6013), which posed risks to national security and threatened a large-scale redistribution of assets.

Voted for an unconstitutional project concerning the Zakarpattia region (#9549). The initiative contained scandalous provisions, including a special procedure for the compulsory alienation of land in the Uzhhorod district, which created risks for deforestation and corrupt schemes involving the purchase of real estate using budget funds at prices 3–3.6 times higher than market value. The President vetoed the bill, but the majority ignored most objections during revision.

Supported a bill limiting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) (#12414). Organisations such as Transparency International Ukraine stated it posed a direct threat to the independence of NABU, and the European Commission considered its adoption a serious step backwards.

Initiated the draft law on restoring monitoring, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions in Ukraine (#12131), an important step towards European integration.

In his declaration for the previous year, the politician indicated that he owned the largest amount of cryptocurrency among all MPs—80 Bitcoin (the equivalent of 253.9 million hryvnias).

2024

At the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), he called on international partners to strengthen support for holding the Russian Federation accountable for ecocide.

At a meeting of the Environmental Policy Committee, he supported bill #9516, which contradicted European integration obligations and aimed to increase large-scale logging in the Carpathians.

As Chairman of the relevant committee, he supported the European integration project on the implementation of new climate policy in Ukraine according to EU standards (#11310) and joined the Interagency Working Group on investigating illegal oak logging in the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve.

2023

Supported the “Medical Cannabis Legalisation” bill (#7457), which allowed the production of medical cannabis in Ukraine.

2019

Elected as a People’s Deputy on the “Servant of the People” party list (#60). At the time of his candidacy, he was the Director of “Investplus” LLC and headed the All-Ukrainian organisation “Green Fund. Overcoming Humanitarian and Environmental Disasters.”

In the “Zelenskyy Team,” he was positioned as an expert on environmental and legal issues. He worked on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Ukraine.

During the first year of parliament, he introduced amendments to a draft law that, according to experts from the “Ecology. Law. Man” NGO, allowed for clear-cutting in the Carpathians, lifted the moratorium on logging in high-mountain forests, and permitted the use of tracked tractors for timber harvesting and transport.

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