Ukrainian Journalist Viktoria Roshchyna Dies In Russian Captivity

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who had gone missing in Russian-occupied territories, has been confirmed dead while in Russian captivity, Ukrainian authorities reported on October 10.

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The news was confirmed by Petro Yatsenko, a representative of Ukraine’s Coordination Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, following an internal investigation into her disappearance.

“We have conducted an internal investigation, and unfortunately, the information about Viktoria’s death has been confirmed," Yatsenko said. However, the circumstances surrounding Roshchyna’s death remain unclear and are still under investigation, he added.

Roshchyna, a freelance journalist who had previously worked with RFE/RL and other prominent Ukrainian media outlets, had been missing since early August 2023.

She had traveled from Ukraine to Poland on July 27 last year before heading toward the Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, according to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn. Her last known communication was on August 3, 2023.

RFE/RL is "devastated" by the news of Roshchyna's death, President and CEO Stephen Capus said.

"Her unlawful imprisonment and tragic death underscore the high price journalists pay for reporting the truth about Russia's war on Ukraine. We must honor her legacy by holding her captors accountable,” Capus said in a statement.

Oleksandra Matviychuk, a friend of Roshchyna and head of the human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, also reacted to Roshchyna's death.

Roshchyna "died under unknown circumstances in Russian captivity fighting for what she believed in: freedom, transparency, and democracy. Her bravery in the face of adversity is something every journalist, every human, should aspire to," Matviychuk said in a statement.

Yatsenko revealed that prior to Roshchyna's death efforts were being made to secure her release from Russian captivity, where she was held along with at least 25 other Ukrainian journalists. These journalists are either detained or missing within Russian-controlled areas.

Andriy Yusov of Ukraine's Military Intelligence confirmed that Roshchyna had been slated for a prisoner exchange, and as of the most recent updates she was being transferred from Taganrog, a Russian city near the Ukrainian border, to Moscow's Lefortovo detention center in preparation for her release.

Ukrainian authorities are now trying to understand what transpired during this transfer.

Roshchyna's case highlights the dangers faced by journalists reporting in war zones. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been directly affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Several Ukrainian journalists remain detained or missing in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories, with Roshchyna's death underscoring the ongoing risks faced by members of the press in conflict zones.