Yesterday, in reporting on former hostage Paul Whelan’s first year at home following his release after five and a half years in a Russian prison, I also paid homage to those still incarcerated there. I specifically named the Americans on our list, but I regret to say that I miscounted — there are seven, not six as I reported.

So, a day late — and with my deepest apologies — here again is Stephen James Hubbard, age 72 (or possibly 73 by now), from Michigan. He had been living in Ukraine since 2014, and was arrested there by Russian forces in April of 2022 on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. On October 5, 2024, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in a maximum-security penal colony.

And, for the 82nd Sunday in a row, here is our remembrance of those remaining in Russia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan as hostages to Vladimir Putin’s reign of terror. The names of the Americans are bolded this week, solely for clarification of my earlier error; their safe return is no more or less urgent than any of the others.

Let’s bring them all home soon.

*. *. *

Prisoners of War:

The People of Ukraine
The Azov 12

Endangered Exiles:

Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Azerbaijan:

The “Azerbaijan 7”:
— Farid Mehralizada
— Ulvi Hasanli
— Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqiai)
— Mahammad Kekalov
— Hafiz Babali
— Nargiz Absalamova
— Elnara Gasimova

In Belarus:

Ales Bialiatski
Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Ihar Losik
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Russia:

David Barnes
Gordon Black
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Sergey Karelin
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Grigory Melkonyants
Nika Novak
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland

. . . and any others I may not be aware of.

You are not forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/3/25