Kiev confirms death of Viktoria Roshchyna, Ukrainian journalist held in Russian captivity since August 2023 – Meduza

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna has died in Russian captivity, Ukrainian authorities confirmed on Thursday. She was 27.

Roshchyna was captured by Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agents while reporting from Russian-occupied territory in August 2023.

According to Petro Yatsenko, head of the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the circumstances of Roshchina’s death are still unclear. Earlier, Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn reported that Russian authorities had informed the journalist’s family that she died while being transferred between prisons, although he later deleted the post.

Andriy Yusov, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence, told the Ukrainian newspaper Suspilne that Roshchyna was on the list for an upcoming prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Yatsenko later confirmed this to Hromadske, adding: “The fact that she was transferred from Taganrog to Moscow was a stage in her preparation for her release.”

Roshchyna’s arrest last year marked the second time she has been captured by Russian forces. In March 2022, FSB agents arrested her in Russian-occupied territory and held her for ten days. During her detention, the agency forced Roshchyna to record a video stating that she had no complaints about her conditions in prison and that Russian forces had “saved her life.” The second time she was arrested, nine months passed before Russian authorities confirmed to Roshchyna’s family that she had been taken into custody.

Roshchyna worked as a freelance reporter for various media, including Ukrainska Pravda, Radio Svoboda and Hromadske, where she was previously employed. She received the 2022 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation.