It may seem inappropriate to label as a “hostage” an individual who has just won an Academy Award for best documentary film of the year, and is living his best life somewhere in a European Union country. But Pavel (“Pasha”) Talankin, for all of his recent success, is the perfect example of what I call an “endangered exile” from his Russian homeland.

Since escaping Putin’s watchful eye, and having his contraband videos produced as a documentary revealing the regime’s propagandizing of Russia’s educational system, Pasha has been living in hiding. But with the presentation of his Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 15th, his work was immediately banned in Russia — to the surprise of no one, and least of all Pasha himself.

He has said that he only wonders why it took Putin so long, issuing the ban only after the award was announced. As to its effect, he says that the ban is actually “brilliant public relations,” as it renders the film of even greater interest to the people of Russia. [RFE/RL Interview, April 4, 2026.] And knowing the ingenuity of the Russians, I am quite certain they will find a way to access it.

But of course, Pasha misses his home, his family, friends and students. And, since he was declared a “foreign agent” by the Russian government on March 27th, he has no idea when, if ever, he will be able to return. Certainly not while Putin is in power.

So today, we add Pasha Talankin to our list of Putin’s hostages. Hopefully he — and his fellow exiles — will remain safe and comfortable until they are able once more to return to the country they love . . . under a new, more free and democratic government.

*. *. *

And of course we continue our watch over the political prisoners still incarcerated in Russia and elsewhere. Here again is the list of those known, which sadly is only a fraction of the total:

Prisoners of War:

The 20,000+ Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine

Immigrant Detainees in Russia:

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

Endangered Exiles:

Pavel “Pasha” Talankin
Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Afghanistan:

Dennis Coyle (American)

In Azerbaijan:

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

In Belarus:

Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Andrzej Poczobut
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Georgia:

Mzia Amaglobeli

In Russia:

The “Crimea 8”:
— Oleg Antipov
— Artyom Azatyan
— Georgy Azatyan
— Aleksandr Bylin
— Roman Solomko
— Artur Terchanyan
— Dmitry Tyazhelykh
— Vladimir Zloba

James Scott Rhys Anderson (British)
David Barnes (American)
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
Anastasia Dyudyaeva
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)
Joseph Tater (American, disappeared)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

You have not been, and will not be, forgotten.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/5/26