Ukrainian journalist's death confirmed after Russian captivity
Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who was held captive by Russia, has passed away. The information about her death was relayed by Petro Yatsenko, the head of the press service of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The 27-year-old was on the list of people scheduled for an exchange soon.
7:12 AM EDT, October 11, 2024
Petro Yatsenko announced on state television that, unfortunately, Viktoria Roshchyna's death has been confirmed. He emphasized that it is still too early to discuss the details surrounding the circumstances of this tragedy.
Yatsenko also expressed sadness, reminding us that as recently as 2022, Roshchyna was creating journalistic content. He admitted that her death is a great loss not only for Ukrainian journalism but also more broadly.
Viktoria Roshchyna has passed: Ukrainian journalist captured by Russian forces
Andriy Yusov, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR), confirmed in an interview with the Suspilne portal that Viktoria Roshchyna was supposed to return to Ukraine during one of the upcoming prisoner exchanges. Before her return, she was to be transported to Moscow's Lefortovo detention center. Yusov added that intelligence is still verifying the information about her death.
Belsat reports that Ukrainian parliamentarian and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Freedom of Speech, Jaroslav Yurczyshyn, informed Ukrainian media that Viktoria's father, Volodymyr Roshchyn, received an official notice 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 Russians. It was not until May this year that Moscow acknowledged she had been arrested and was in Russian captivity. Belsat reminds readers that the journalist had been detained earlier in the occupied territories at the beginning of the full-scale invasion but was quickly released at that time.
The journalist worked for the Hromadske portal. On August 3, 2023, information about her disappearance in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces was released. The head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, Serhiy Tomilenko, conveyed 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.
