The body of journalist Victoria Roshchyna brought back to Ukraine

The body of journalist Victoria Roshchyna who died in Russian captivity brought back to Ukraine, deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Leonid Tymchenko, reported.

"Her body was brought back as part of the recent repatriation effort in late February of this year. She was identified through DNA testing," he said.

Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, reported that the return of Victoria's body was kept secret because there was no certainty that it was her. Given the torture and the condition that the body was in, Roshchyna’s family requested not one, but several DNA tests. Some of them were conducted not only in Ukraine, but also abroad. For this reason, the return of Roshchyna’s body has not been officially reported so far.

We shall remind you that Victoria Roshchyna worked in the warfare zone and covered the situation on the frontline since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. She was first detained by the Russian special forces, and then released, on March 16, 2022.

In July 2023, Victoria went to work in the occupied territories again. She went missing in August. According to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn, on July 27, 2023, she left Ukraine for Poland and was supposed to reach the occupied territories in the East of Ukraine in three days. Volodymyr Roshchyn also mentioned that the Security Service of Ukraine had confirmed to the family that his daughter had been taken captive, yet it was only in May 2024 that Russia officially confirmed the detention of the journalist.

Victoria’s death became known on October 10, 2024. Her father Volodymyr Roshchyn receives this information from Russian officials. On October 6, 2024, Victoria Roshchyna would have turned 28.

The Media Initiative for Human Rights reported that Victoria Roshchyna had been held in at least two prisons: Penal Colony No. 77 in Berdiansk and Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 2 in Taganrog. The latter is considered to be one of the most brutal detention centers in Russia to hold Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.