On October 10, it was confirmed that 27-year-old journalist Viktoria Roshchyna died while in Russian captivity. Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, announced her death during a telethon broadcast. He added that it was too early to discuss the circumstances and causes of her death.
“It is too early to discuss the circumstances of her death; appropriate efforts are underway to establish them. I believe that, in time, we will learn the full details. Furthermore, if there are individuals responsible for causing her death or murder, they will undoubtedly face justice, as such crimes have no statute of limitations,” Yatsenko stated.
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said that he had received confirmation of the journalist’s death from the Russian side.
The media Graty, citing a letter sent by the Russian Ministry of Defense to Viktoria’s father, reported that her death occurred on September 19. The letter also stated that Viktoria Roshchyna’s body would be returned “to the Ukrainian side as part of the exchange of bodies of detained persons.”
Viktoria Roshchyna was being prepared for an exchange, according to Suspilne, citing the words of Defense Intelligence representative Andrii Yusov. She had been transferred from Taganrog to Lefortovo in Moscow in preparation for her release.
“She was supposed to return home soon, and everything necessary had been done for this,” said the representative of the Defense Intelligence.
Background
Viktoria Roshchyna was first detained by Russian special services on March 16, 2022, while on the way to Mariupol and sent to occupied Berdiansk. On March 22, the FSB released her after she filmed a video stating that she had no complaints against the Russian special services. On August 3, 2023, she lost communication while in the occupied territory. It was only in May 2024 that Russia confirmed for the first time that it was holding her captive.
As reported by zmina.info, Viktoria’s father, Volodymyr Roshchyn, claimed that journalism was the most important thing in her life.
“After the first capture, I begged her to stop. I said, “Viktoria, I will pay your salary, but please don’t go to the front.” However, she was firm and relentless — she could not stop covering the news from the occupied territories for her readers,” he said.
Victoria Roshchyna cooperated with Radio Liberty, Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, Ukrainian Radio, Hromaske Radio, UA:Pershyi, Censor.net, etc.
We gathered comments and posts from Viktoria’s colleagues to honor her memory.
She was always present where the real events were unfolding
Sevgil Musayeva, the chief editor of Ukrainska Pravda, stated that the defining quality of Viktoria was her courage. Everyone who has crossed paths with her at work speaks about this feature of hers.
“She tackled the most difficult topics and the riskiest assignments. She could disappear for two weeks, only to return with material about the lives of people living under occupation. It was important for her to tell the stories of Ukrainians in uncontrolled territories, to give them a voice, and to walk alongside them. This reflects her incredible humanity. Her texts about the high cost of living in Vasylivka, where she spent ten days with other Ukrainians escaping from occupation; about the boys from Berdiansk who were killed by the Russians and whose bodies were withheld from their loved ones; and about the deportation of children will remain in my memory forever,” Sevgil shared with Women in Media.
Kyrylo Lukerenko, CEO of the Hromadske Radio NGO, mentioned that Viktoria was with Hromadske Radio for a very short time in 2022. In just two and a half months, she produced nearly two dozen reports. She covered topics such as the Kadyrov fighters in Ukraine, the shelling of Kharkiv, the defense of Bakhmut, Ukrainian doctors in Lysychansk, and the destruction of the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk.
“She was always present where real events were unfolding. Her vivid photos and texts provided a clear understanding of what was truly happening. She loved the subjects of her reports and knew how to connect with each one of them. This is evident in her photographs; people she portrayed were alive and vibrant. She constantly took risks, and we were very worried about her. It was impossible to convince her to be more careful. I think she viewed risk as part of an honest conversation about war. Perhaps she believed that personal risk allowed for a better understanding of the soldiers and refugees — those tens and hundreds of people she met during the war. Ukrainian journalists often work for multiple publications, so every incident affects a larger number of colleagues. This year, Hromadske Radio lost three of our colleagues who worked with us either before or at the time of their deaths. We remember them very well,” Kyrylo commented for Women in Media.
The editor-in-chief of Hromadske, Hrystyna Kotsira, posted on Facebook:
“Vika was a lonely butterfly flying toward the fire. It was impossible to stop her. I tried, though perhaps not very hard. Today, at the Institute of Journalism, students asked me if there were instances when editors forbade journalists from going somewhere. I told them about Viktoria Roshchyna — how our prohibitions could not restrain her and how she was ultimately captured. After the meeting, I stepped outside, took out my phone, and read that Vika was gone; the Russians had killed her in captivity. Had I learned of her death earlier, I would have told my future colleagues that journalism brings many wonderful people into your life, but it also takes a lot away. Your circle of communication consists of those who are the first to climb the barricades. Therefore, during the war, be prepared for deaths to rain down on you like chestnuts from a tree in autumn. It hurts deeply. God willing, somewhere out there, Viktoria will find happiness and peace.”
Later, the media prepared a text about Viktoria’s work at Hromadske, highlighting her contributions and referencing her notable pieces.
She managed not to burn out
Journalist Stav Kozliuk recalls that they often met with Victoria in courts on Maidan cases and political cases.
“Those all-nighters, when the court went into chambers at 11:00 p.m. and returned at 3 a.m. — that did happen. And Vika was one of the few who stayed until the end, then went on to write about it. She was hungry for work. There aren’t many like her among colleagues, especially those who have been in the field for years. Somehow, she managed not to burn out. Viktoria also wrote about the war, and in 2022, she fully immersed herself in that topic. I remember how, in Kharkiv, we read her posts about the Luhansk region, then about Zaporizhzhia, and her attempts to reach the besieged Mariupol. She was captured, returned, and went back to Mariupol again. Then she worked in the east. I know many colleagues did not share her approach to risk, and many were uncomfortable with it — including me, to be honest. You think about justified risks, and the outcome should outweigh them. I don’t know what Vika planned or what she intended to write; I wasn’t in her position. It’s very sad that she died in Russian captivity because the list of journalists killed by Russia has grown longer, and we lost a good colleague. Thank you for your work, Viktoria. I was happy to be your colleague.”
Yuliana Skibitska, deputy editor-in-chief of Babel, expressed that it is very frightening that the Russians will most likely not be held accountable for Viktoria’s death or for the thousands of other deaths.
“We worked with Viktoria Roshchyna at Hromadske. I can’t say we were friends — just colleagues who exchanged greetings. I believe we even worked together on a project once. Vika wasn’t someone close to me, but her death is something I can’t comprehend. What could possibly have happened to a young woman for her to die during a transfer? What on earth is going on? What transfer was it, and what was Vika’s status? There are no answers now, and it’s very frightening that this death, like thousands of others, may go unpunished.”
Media manager and co-founder of the Public Interest Lab, Angelina Kariakina, stated that Viktoria could not have died; she was killed by captivity.
“Everyone who worked with you has a story about how you went to court, then to protests, and then to the capture of Ukrposhta in Kharkiv on New Year’s Eve. Everyone remembers the times you came to the office and hadn’t left yet. For you, there was nothing more interesting or important than journalism. It wasn’t just about your ability to work; it was about the fanaticism with which you approached both your work and your life. So, perhaps the best thing we can do now is to find out what you were working on before your capture and finish that work. But first, we must uncover what happened to you. What they did to you.”
Anna Babinets, the head of the investigative journalism agency Slidstvo.Info, recalls that Viktoria came to them in 2017, expressing her desire to conduct an investigation. And she made an impressive story about how budget funds intended for displaced people were disappearing.
“However, her dynamic nature required more excitement than classical investigations could provide. She then worked with all the leading media outlets—Hromadske, Suspilne, Ukraiinska Pravda… Vika was unstoppable, say colleagues who worked with her during the full-scale invasion. Her desire to pursue journalism and tackle the impossible often overshadowed her instinct for self-preservation. And the Russians killed her. Rest in peace, Viktoria.”
Anna Tokhmahchi, the executive producer of the Svoboda.Ranok project on Radio Svoboda, recalls that Viktoria worked even on vacation, often hiding behind stacks of paper:
“I was so naively relieved when the Russians confirmed that you were in captivity. I thought, “Phew, she’s found! Now she won’t be killed in captivity; she’ll come back.” You always came back. You went to my native Mariupol, risking your life to report on what they did to it. I both thanked you and scolded you for it at the same time. I want to punch those who are now asking, “What was she counting on?” Such comments come only from those who don’t know you personally. You pushed forward despite everything: despite threats, danger, and prohibitions. You simply couldn’t help but go.”
She didn’t die, she was murdered
Journalist Polina Vernyhor admits that she condemned Viktoria for going to the occupied territories, where the risk of capture was high. She also criticized the editors who approved such assignments.
“But the primary fault does not lie with them. The war was not initiated by journalists or editors. The death of journalists as a result of the occupier’s aggression is unacceptable. This crime must be investigated, and the perpetrators must ultimately be held accountable.”
Polina notes that, like most of her colleagues, she was worried and hoped for Viktoria’s safe return from captivity for the second time.
“This is horror and despair for the entire community and for me, in particular. It’s simply wrong. It’s unfair. Viktoria did not deserve the horrors that led to her death. I can only imagine what must have been done to a 27-year-old girl for her to meet such a fate. This war is one of the most documented in human history, thanks in large part to the journalists — those who have died, those who remain in captivity, and those who continue to courageously report the reality, helping to bring at least some of the population back to the truth.”
Anastasia Bahalika, the editor and host of the program about prisoners on Hromadske Radio, states that Viktoria Roshchyna’s death may have resulted from violent circumstances. While her death might be reported as a consequence of a hunger strike, Anastasia suggests that this is unlikely.
“There was information that Victoria was being transferred to Moscow for further exchange. I think this is an important detail that will allow us to place the emphasis correctly. Vika did not die in captivity. She was killed in captivity by the Russians. It is still to be found out what exactly happened and how it happened. But I can say, based on considerable experience of communication with those released from captivity, that those who are being prepared for exchange are mostly not pushed to the point of exhaustion and do not allow themselves to be pushed to the point of exhaustion. There are many testimonies of former prisoners that, for example, they could have been fed better before the exchange. For example, one of the released prisoners of war said that they were given macaroni and butter to eat and it was such a luxurious food that they never had in captivity. So, I assume that the fact that Victoria went on hunger strike in captivity does not mean that this hunger strike was the real cause of her death. Of course, this is only an assumption,” — Anastasia shared her thoughts in the comment for Women in Media.
Anastasia reminds us that Victoria’s case is not isolated; there are other instances of deaths in Russian captivity. Many bodies returned to Ukraine bear signs of violence, highlighting the systemic nature of torture and abuse faced by prisoners.
“I hope that Ukrainian authorities will be able to uncover the sequence of events and identify those responsible,” she said.
According to IMI, since the beginning of the war in 2014, at least 100 journalists have been held hostage in Russia, with at least 30 Ukrainian media workers currently in Russian captivity.
Let us remind you that Russia not only kills and detains Ukrainian journalists but also uses disinformation to discredit the entire state by promoting a negative image of active women. To understand the narratives underlying gender disinformation and their role in the Russian propaganda machine, refer to the grand narrative about Ukraine in the research.The NGO “Women in Media” has also initiated the translation of the Guidelines for Monitoring Online Violence Against Female Journalists, developed by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, into Ukrainian. This document serves as a crucial practical tool for effectively addressing cyber threats faced by women in the media.