Ukrainian Journalist Victoria Roshchina Dies in Russian Custody, Ukraine Official Says

Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina, who was captured by Russian forces while reporting from eastern Ukraine, has died in Russian custody, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday.

Roshchina, who would have turned 28 this month, disappeared in August 2023 after traveling to the Russian-controlled eastern regions of Ukraine to prepare a report. The main trade union of journalists in Ukraine confirmed that she remained missing until April 2024, when her father received a letter from the Russian Ministry of Defense stating that she was being held in a Russian pre-trial detention center.

The exact circumstances of her arrest have not been disclosed, and authorities have not revealed her current location within Russia. "Unfortunately, the information about Victoria's death has been confirmed," Pyotr Yatsenko, a representative of Ukraine's Coordinating Headquarters for Prisoners of War, said on Thursday. "It is too early to talk about the circumstances of the death; we are working to establish them."

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine condemned Roshchina's death on social media, calling it a murder and urging an immediate investigation. The organization also appealed to the international community to increase pressure on Russia to release all Ukrainian journalists held illegally. "We call on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to release all Ukrainian journalists illegally held by the occupiers," the group stated.

Russian news outlet Mediazona reported that Roshchina died while being transferred to Moscow from a prison in Taganrog, near the Ukrainian border. Human rights organizations have documented the detention of thousands of Ukrainians opposed to Moscow’s rule in the occupied territories since the Russian invasion in 2022, with many subjected to torture by security forces.

In January 2024, the BBC Russian service reported that thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including journalists, were being held in Russia without charges or access to legal aid. In May, Ukraine announced that more than two dozen Ukrainian media representatives were in Russian captivity, with ongoing negotiations for their release.

Roshchina worked as a freelance correspondent for various independent news agencies, including Ukrainskaya Pravda, and collaborated with Radio Free Europe, a US-funded media outlet. In March 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that she was detained by Russian troops for 10 days while reporting in southeastern Ukraine.

In 2022, the International Women's Media Fund awarded Roshchina the "For Courage in Journalism" award for her reporting from eastern Ukraine. "Victoria's passing is not just the loss of a wonderful woman, but also a fearless witness to history," the group said in a statement. "Regardless of the cause of her death, we can say with certainty that her life was taken away because she dared to tell the truth. We hope that her death will not be in vain: the international community must put pressure on Russia to stop persecuting journalists and suppressing press freedom."