Ukrainian journalist, Victoria Roshchyna, died exposing Russia’s hidden crimes
Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was captured by Russian forces in the summer of 2023, endured brutal torture in captivity, according to an investigation by Slidstvo.Info. Investigators found she suffered knife wounds, electric shocks, and became so emaciated her weight dropped to just 30 kilograms. Russian prison staff reportedly hid her from inspections to conceal her deteriorating condition.
Roshchyna was taken prisoner in August 2023 while reporting from Russian-occupied territories. For months, her whereabouts were unknown. It wasn’t until May 2024 that Russian authorities officially acknowledged her detention, confirming she was being held at Taganrog Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 2 in Russia’s Rostov region.
In October 2024, her father received a letter—allegedly from Russia’s Ministry of Defense—stating she had died in captivity on Sept. 19, 2024. The letter gave no explanation for her death but said her body would be returned to Ukraine as part of a prisoner body exchange. Nearly five months later, Ukrainian officials say her body still hasn’t been transferred. They suspect Russian authorities are withholding it to cover up evidence of torture.
Roshchyna, 27, had been reporting from dangerous occupied areas since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. She started her journalism career as a teenager, covering court rulings and crime, and later worked for major Ukrainian independent outlets, including Hromadske and Ukrainska Pravda. Russian forces first detained her in March 2022, holding her for about a week. Despite the risks, she returned to occupied territories in the summer of 2023 to continue her reporting. [Continue reading…]