Leonid Pshenychnov is an internationally-renowned Ukrainian Marine Biologist who has worked for decades on the conservation of biological resources of the Southern Ocean, including Antarctic krill and fish biodiversity. Since 1996, he has represented Ukraine at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and was scheduled to do so again last month at Hobart, Australia.

Before traveling to Hobart, Dr. Pshenychnov was visiting family in Russian-occupied Crimea in September, when he “was forced to take up a Russian passport . . . and has been arbitrarily charged with ‘threatening the security of the Russian Federation,’” according to Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia. [Jano Gibson, abc.net.au, October 20, 2025.]

A translated version of a document issued by Russian authorities to Dr. Pshenychnov’s attorneys following his arrest describes him as a “Russian citizen . . . [who] defected to the enemy” by participating in CCAMLR’s meetings in recent years, and accuses him of using his research to undermine Russia’s krill fishing operations near the Antarctic Peninsula by encouraging tighter catch limits — despite the fact that the movement to enforce the new limits was unsuccessful. [Id.]

And if that isn’t a setup, I’ve never seen one. Forcing a Russian passport upon a Ukrainian citizen, and then declaring him a “defector” to the “enemy” is the height of chutzpah . . . not to mention being blatantly illegal.

Yet Dr. Pshenychnov, age 70, has been imprisoned, despite protests from both the Ukrainian and Australian governments. In the words of Ambassador Myroshnychenko:

“Dr. Pshenichnov’s [sic] arrest and imprisonment without any evidence is a blatant human rights abuse.” [Id.]

Thus, our list of Russia’s hostages grows once more, as we await the outcome of his case.

*. *. *

So, with a deep sigh of regret, here we go again this week:

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
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

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
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
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)

Stay strong . . . you are not forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/2/25