Potapenko was born in the village of Fyodorovka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) where his father was a priest.

Potapenko studied at Odessa University, and at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.

He's best known for his novel A Russian Priest (1890), published in Vestnik Evropy (Herald of Europe).

His works include novels, plays, and short stories.

This article about a Russian writer or poet is a stub.