Last week I reported on the conviction and sentencing of 12 members of the Ukrainian Azov Battalion who have been tried — by a Russian military court — not as prisoners of war, but as terrorists, and given prison sentences ranging from 13 to 23 years.
There has been no further news as to the whereabouts of these men, and I still do not have their names. To me, they are “The Azov 12,” and they remain — tragically, along with all of the others — on our hostage list.
*. *. *
So we continue to keep our vigil for all of those unjustly held hostages known to us in Vladimir Putin’s GULAG of penal colonies:
The Azov 12
David Barnes
Ales Bialiatski (in Belarus)
Gordon Black
Andrei Chapiuk (in Belarus)
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Ksenia Karelina
Ihar Karney (in Belarus)
Vadim Kobzev
Uladzimir Labkovich (in Belarus)
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Ihar Losik (in Belarus)
Daniel Martindale
Farid Mehralizada (in Azerbaijan)
Nika Novak
Marfa Rabkova (in Belarus)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Eugene Spector
Valiantsin Stafanovic (in Belarus)
Siarhei Tsikhanouski (in Belarus)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland
Vladislav Yesypenko (in Crimea)
Yuras Zyankovich (in Belarus)
*. *. *
And — like a broken record — I again offer this plea to Donald Trump in the White House . . . though I assume it will likely continue to fall on deaf ears, as it has thus far:
“Amidst all of the hubbub of your new administration, it is imperative that these innocent men and women not be forgotten. Negotiations for their safe release have been underway for some time. President Joe Biden succeeded in bringing home 16 innocent people on August 1st of last year, and you have added two others to that list. But you should be trying to do even more. Whatever else you do, this should be high on your list of priorities. The people you promised to represent are counting on you.
“Perhaps this would be an appropriate time to remind you also of the oath you swore on January 20th:
“‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’
“I’m sure there’s a copy of that Constitution lying around the White House. If not, you can Google it. This is what it looks like, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Just sayin’ . . .
Brendochka
4/6/25
The Blog About Everything … and Sometimes Nothing 
Perhaps you should consider statring a “Trump hostages: Bring them home” series for those legal immigrants who have been sent to maximum security prisons in El Salvador courtesy of ICE. Two such hostages immediately spring to mind: Singer Arturo Suarez, and Maryland man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the government admits was wrongly deported, but claims they are not responsible for his return, I have a sneaking feeling that the Trump list might become longer than the Putin list by year’s end.
Mind you, if you include all those sent to the El Salvador prison hell holes without due process Trump’s list would already be longer.
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Thank you — I’ve thought of doing just that. Unfortunately, as with Ukraine’s “Azov 12,” being held by Russia as terrorists rather than prisoners of war, there would be hundreds — perhaps thousands — without names being rounded up in Trump’s mad purges, and no way of tracking them. But I could start with those who are known, as you suggest.
I am heartened by yesterday’s massive “Hands Off” demonstrations across the U.S. Our people are truly fed up, and what I would see as a best-case outcome would be the resignation of both Trump and Vance, taking Musk and the entire Cabinet with them into political purgatory. Next in line of succession would be Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who is no prize, but (I believe) at least reasonably sane — and who, in such circumstances, would not dare to repeat Trump’s behavior. And next year’s Congressional elections would take care of the rest. We need a completely fresh start, but we need it done legally, constitutionally, and without violence.
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