Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna dies in Russian custody
Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who had been held captive by Russian forces, has passed away. Petro Yatsenko, head of the press service for the coordination headquarters responsible for the treatment of prisoners of war, shared the information about her death. The 27-year-old was on the list of people expected to be part of an upcoming exchange.
Petro Yatsenko announced on state television that, unfortunately, the death of Viktoria Roshchyna has been confirmed. He emphasized that it is still too early to discuss the circumstances of this tragedy in detail.
Yatsenko also expressed his sadness, recalling that Roshchyna was actively creating journalistic materials as recently as 2022. He acknowledged that her death is a significant loss not just for Ukrainian journalism but beyond.
Viktoria Roshchyna has died. Ukrainian journalist was captured by Russians
Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), confirmed in an interview with the Suspilne portal that Viktoria Roshchyna was expected to return to Ukraine during one of the upcoming prisoner exchanges. Before her return, she was to be taken to Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison. Yusov added that intelligence is still verifying the information about her death.
Belsat reports that Ukrainian parliamentarian and Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, announced to Ukrainian media that Viktoria’s father, Volodymyr Roshchyn, received an official notification of his daughter's death.
Viktoria Roshchyna went missing last summer while working on a report about the lives of residents in areas occupied by Russian forces. It wasn’t until May this year that Moscow admitted she had been arrested and held captive. Belsat reminds us that the journalist was previously detained in occupied areas at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but she was quickly released at that time.
The journalist worked for the Hromadske portal. On August 3, 2023, information about her disappearance in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine was shared. The head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, Serhiy Tomilenko, stated then that her father was the first to learn about her capture by Russian forces.
The circumstances of the journalist's death have not been disclosed.
