Photo: National Union of Journalists of Ukraine
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed that he has received official documentation from the Russian side regarding the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna.
«I have official documentary confirmation from the Russian side about the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who was illegally deprived of her freedom by Russia. My sincere condolences to Victoria’s family and friends,» he wrote.
Lubinets noted that the causes of Roshchyna’s death while in Russian captivity remain unknown.
He also informed the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to officially record the death of a civilian who was illegally detained by the Russian Federation.
«Illegal detention and abduction of journalists are weapons used by the Russian Federation against freedom of speech! Russia has once again violated the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.»
Earlier, Petro Yatsenko also confirmed the death of Victoria Roshchyna. He is a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. It is known that she was being prepared for an exchange.
According to Yatsenko, it is still too early to discuss the exact circumstances of Roshchyna’s death. Currently they are still being investigated. He confirmed that Roshchyna was being prepared for an exchange, but «unfortunately, we did not have enough time.»
«The fact that she was being transferred from Taganrog to Moscow was part of her preparation for release,» he said.
Former prisoner of the so-called «DPR,» volunteer, and public figure Lyudmila Huseynova reported that Victoria Roshchyna died on September 19. According to her, Roschyna’s body will be returned to Ukraine during the next exchange of bodies.
It should be recalled that earlier, Roshchyna’s father learned about her death through an official letter from the Russian side. At the time, the information was still being verified. People’s Deputy Yaroslav Yurchyshyn had previously reported on Hromadske Radio that Roschyna had declared a hunger strike in response to inhumane treatment.
Victoria Roshchyna disappeared on August 3, 2023, in the temporarily occupied territories. In May 2024, Russia officially confirmed for the first time that it was holding her captive.
In March 2022, Roshchyna had also been detained by Russian security forces while preparing reports on military operations in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. She had planned to go all the way to Mariupol to document the events in the city, which was being shelled daily by Russian troops. She was held for 10 days before being released.
After her release in March 2022, Roshchyna continued her work as a journalist in areas controlled by the Ukrainian government. She worked for Hromadske and later published articles in «Ukrainian Pravda» and «Radio Svoboda.» In 2022, she received the International Women’s Media Foundation’s «Courage in Journalism» award.