Technically speaking, they’re not hostages. They’re not living in barred prisons or Siberian penal colonies. But they might as well be, because there is no way into or out of their town of Oleshky. They are stuck there . . . and they’re dying.

Situated in the southern Ukraine region of Kherson, it has been occupied by Russian invaders since the early days of the war in 2022. In 2023, the nearby Kakhovka Dam was destroyed, the city was flooded, and most residents left. Those who remained — an estimated 2,000 in the city proper, a total of 6,000 including surrounding areas — are mostly elderly people, people with disabilities, and families with nowhere to go.

There is no electricity, no gas, no running water, and no access to medicine. The last food delivery arrived on May 26, 2026. Whatever food the people can find is prepared over open fires. Roads around the city are mined and susceptible to drone attacks, making it nearly impossible to bring in supplies and aid or to evacuate those who wish to leave.

On September 25th, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha addressed the situation in a post on X:

“There is almost nothing left to eat. Reports indicate that civilians are being forced to survive on grass and weeds, while medicines, clean water, electricity, and medical care are increasingly out of reach. Children are trapped in these conditions too.” [Kateryna Hodunova, The Kyiv Independent, September 26, 2026.]

Ukraine has prepared an evacuation plan, and the International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed its readiness to assist. But Russia has not indicated its willingness to allow the plan to proceed — in effect taking some 6,000 people hostage without having to lift a finger.

So, until their city is finally free to receive aid and evacuate those who wish to leave, The 6,000 Starving Citizens of Oleshky have been added to our list of Putin’s hostages . . . because that is indeed what they are. They’re just not behind bars.

*. *. *

And as always, let us again remember the other prisoners still being held hostage by Putin and his cohorts:

Prisoners of War:

The 20,000+ Kidnapped Ukrainian Children
The People of Ukraine
The 6,000 Starving Citizens of Oleshky

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
Oleg Orlov
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)
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
Svitlana Loi (in Ukraine)
Mikhail Loshchinin
“Madame Z” (in Ukraine)
Grigory Melkonyants
Boris Nadezhdin
Nika Novak
Svetlana Petriichuk
Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea)
Ilya Remeslo
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
Arseniy Turbinin (age 18)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland (American)

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

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/27/26