As another bitter winter approaches, and while the attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure continue and more people die or are wounded and displaced, the political prisoners being held hostage by Vladimir Putin’s forces in Russia and elsewhere sit and wait for hopeful news.

But not to be overlooked this week are the thousands of prisoners on both sides of another conflict — the Israel-Gaza war — who are about to be returned home on Monday, if all goes according to plan. And that will indeed be cause for celebration. Regardless of nationality, no prisoner of war or political hostage must be left behind or forgotten.

While we rejoice for those survivors and their families, though, let us not forget the victims of Putin’s and his allies’ continuing campaign of terror against those who dare to speak out against their totalitarian regimes, who remain in prisons and penal colonies in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Central Asia, and China.

For the 92nd straight week, then, they are (among thousands of others):

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

Prisoners of War:

The 19,500 Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

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
Marya Kalesnikava
Uladzimir Labkovich
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In China:

Chenyue Mao (American)

In Russia:

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

The fight continues on their behalf — hopefully without letup — until they are all safely home.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/12/25