[3] After completing his ninth grade of school in 1937 he worked at a mine in Karaganda and trained at the local aeroclub, which he graduated from in 1939.

He then entered the military in March 1940 and went on to graduate from a school for aviation specialists in November, after which he was assigned to the 136th High-speed Bomber Regiment as a radio operator and gunner.

However, the first time he saw combat in the war was in 1943 while he was in the infantry, since from March to September that year he was an assistant platoon commander in the 32nd Separate Rifle Brigade.

In August that year the regiment was sent to Vozdvizhenka in the Russian Far East as part of a prelude to the Soviet participation in the Korean War.

Throughout the entire day there had been multiple dogfights between MiGs and Sabres in the area, but Americans indicated the loss of only one – an F-86A piloted by William Crone, who was killed in action.

Surviving veterans of the squadron later praised Ponomaryov for developing better combat tactics and bravery, saying that he met their expectations.

[8] The next month his squadron made 14 sorties and engaged in 5 dogfights, but only Ponomaryov claimed an aerial victory, doing so on 31 August.

[11] With the loss of Morozov and the departure of several other squadron members for health reasons, few people were left, so on 22 October more crews were added.

They received a new squadron navigator, but he made only two sorties before being withdrawn from combat; during his second mission he was attacked by an F-86 and badly burned.

In April 1953 he became the navigator for guidance and control points of the 254th Fighter Aviation Division, and in May 1954 he was made deputy head of combat training planning in Komsomol-Khabarovsk.

In May that year he became the senior navigator for the staff operations division, and in 1960 he transferred to the 11th Separate Air Defense Army in Khabarovsk before retiring in 1968 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.