Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna has died in Russian custody, an official said
Ukrainian journalist kidnapped by Moscow while reporting from the east Ukraine died in Russian custody, a Ukrainian official said Thursday.
Victoria Roshchyna, who would have turned 28 this month, disappeared in August last year after traveling to Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine to report.
He remained anonymous until April 2024, when his father received a letter from Moscow’s defense ministry saying he was being held in Russian custody, according to the Ukrainian journalists’ union.
The circumstances of his arrest have not been disclosed and it is unclear where he is being held within Russia.
“Unfortunately, information about Victoria’s death has been confirmed,” Petro Yatsenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s military coordination headquarters, said on Thursday.
“It is too early to talk about the circumstances of death, we are busy establishing them,” he added.
In a social media post, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine condemned the killing and called for an immediate investigation.
“We urge the international community to increase pressure on Russia to release all Ukrainian journalists who were illegally detained by the extraditers,” the group said.
Russian newspaper Mediazona reported that he died while being transferred to Moscow from Taganrog prison, near the Ukrainian border.
Thousands of Ukrainians opposed to Moscow’s rule have been detained in occupied territories since Russia’s offensive began in 2022, with many facing torture at the hands of security forces, according to rights groups.
In January 2024, BBC Russia reported that thousands of Ukrainian citizens, including journalists, are being held in Russia without trial or access to lawyers.
Ukraine said in May that more than a dozen Ukrainian media officials had been detained in Russia and that negotiations for their return were ongoing.
Roshchyna worked as a freelancer for various independent news channels including Ukrainska Pravda and was involved with the Ukrainian service of the US-funded news agency Radio Free Europe.
In March 2022, Roshchina was detained by Russian forces for 10 days while reporting in southeastern Ukraine, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In 2022, she was awarded the Courage in Journalism award by the International Women’s Media Foundation for her reporting from eastern Ukraine.
“Victoria’s death is not only the loss of a wonderful woman, but a brave witness to history,” the group said in a statement on Thursday. “Whatever the cause of his death, we can say with certainty that his life was taken because he had the courage to speak the truth. We hope that his death will not be in vain: the international community must pressure Russia to stop targeting journalists and silence the freedom of the press.”
