Each week, I mention the sad fact that my list of Putin’s political hostages consists of only a small fraction of those actually held in prisons and penal colonies throughout Russia, Belarus, and other Russia-friendly locations.

And every now and then, I happen across the names of others previously unknown to me. Such was the case this week, when I read about the recent death of Russian human rights activist and dissident Nina Litvinova at the age of 80.

Nina, a prominent ocean researcher, was not a prisoner; her body was found on a street in central Moscow. And she had left behind a suicide note. [The Moscow Times, May 15, 2026.]

According to the Russian human rights organization Memorial, Nina had been advocating for political prisoners since the 1960s, including for her own brother, Pavel Litvinov, who had taken part in a demonstration against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. She attended high-profile trials, including those of historian Yury Dmitriyev, Memorial co-founder Oleg Orlov, and numerous lesser-known prisoners. She had also appeared briefly in a 2022 documentary by RFE/RL’s Russian Service when she visited imprisoned activist Olga Bendas. [RFE/RL’s Russian Service, May 15, 2026.]

Nina Litvinova’s death was first reported on May 13, 2026. The next day, her cousin, journalist Maria Slonim, published a story on social media that included what she said was an excerpt from Nina’s suicide note. As Slonim wrote:

“Nobody — neither RIA nor Gazeta.Ru, which first reported it — will, of course, publish the note, because it lays out the reasons for her death far too plainly. So we decided to show the real reasons: Putin killed her!” [Id.]

Nina’s farewell note is a testament to the extremes to which Putin’s repressive regime has gone and the effect it has had on the entire country; and as such, it bears repeating here:

“I love all of you and think about you. But I must leave; living has become unbearable for me. Ever since Putin attacked Ukraine and has been killing innocent people, while here at home thousands are endlessly thrown into prison, suffering and dying there simply because, like me, they oppose the war and oppose killing. I can do nothing to help them. Yevgenia Berkovich, Svetlana Petriichuk, Karina Tsurkan, and thousands of others behind bars are suffering and dying. I tried to help them, but my strength is gone, and day and night I suffer from helplessness. I am ashamed, but I gave up. Please forgive me.” [Id.]

*. *. *

It is from Nina Litvinova’s story that I have gathered the names of Yury Dmitriyev, Oleg Orlov, Olga Bendas, Yevgenia Berkovich, Svetlana Petriichuk, and Karina Tsurkan, for inclusion in my list of political prisoners. In the coming week, I will research their histories to relate to you in next Sunday’s chapter.

In the meantime, they are included in my weekly tribute to those who remain in limbo, awaiting our help. Once again, here is the list of those known, which is still 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:

Mahmoud Habibi (Afghan-American)
Paul Overby (American, missing since 2018)

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)
Aleksandr Andreyev
David Barnes (American)
Olga Bendas
Yevgenia Berkovich
Gordon Black (American)
Hayden Davies (British)
Yury Dmitriyev
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
Oleg Orlov
Svetlana Petriichuk
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Lev Schlossberg
Sofiane Sehili (French)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector (American)
Joseph Tater (American, disappeared)
Karina Tsurkan
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

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

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
5/17/26