War was her beat: Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, or Vika for short, put herself in danger to tell the world about what was happening to people in the occupied areas of her country. The 27-year-old paid for her courage with her life. Two years ago, Roshchyna was taken prisoner by the Russians and was never released.
She spent 15 months in prison in the southern Russian city of Taganrog. The journalist died during her transfer to Moscow last autumn. Now she will finally find her final resting place in Kyiv: on Friday, Viktoriia Roshchyna will be buried in the famous Baikove Cemetery in the Ukrainian capital.
What happened to ‘Vika’ Roshchyna?
The death of the Ukrainian journalist was announced on October 10, 2024. Roshchyna, who disappeared during a trip to the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, had waited in vain for her release. Andriy Yussov of the Ukrainian military intelligence service told the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that Roshchyna was supposed to be part of a prisoner exchange. However, this never materialized during her lifetime.
Russia did not hand over the journalist’s body to Ukraine until February 14, together with the bodies of 756 fallen soldiers. Roshchyna was the last one, numbered 757 and marked “unidentified male.” According to the Ukrainian web portal Graty, the journalist’s father was informed in a letter from the Russian Ministry of Defense that his daughter had died on September 19, 2024.
Investigative journalists from the international Viktoriia Project investigated the case. The project was initiated by the journalist network Forbidden Stories with the participation of leading media outlets worldwide, including the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrajinska Prawda.
According to the research team after the transfer, Ukrainian pathologists determined that the body numbered 757 was that of a woman. The investigation conducted by investigators from the Prosecutor General’s Office showed a 99% match with the DNA of journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna.
“However, due to the condition of the body and its mummification, the cause of death could not be determined during the forensic examination,” said Yuri Belyusov, head of the war crimes department of the Prosecutor General’s Office in April. Many signs of torture and abuse were found on the body, he said, including bleeding on several parts of the body, as well as a broken rib.
Experts also found possible signs that Roshchyna had been subjected to electric shocks. “The injuries were inflicted during her lifetime,” Belyousov said. “It is very likely that she was tortured.”
The Ukrainian investigation team told the Viktoriia Project that Roshchyna’s body showed signs that an autopsy had already been performed in Russia. The project’s journalists learned that some internal organs were missing: the brain, eyeballs, and part of the trachea.
One pathologist told the Viktoriia Project that the absence of these organs could be to conceal the fact that Roshchyna died by strangulation or suffocation.
The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has launched a criminal investigation into Roshchyna’s case. The investigating authority is treating it as a “war crime in connection with intentional murder.”
Taganrog prison is ‘hell on earth’
Roshchyna had already been taken prisoner once before: in March 2022, she was arrested by the Russian security service in the southern Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk and subsequently imprisoned. The charge at the time was espionage. Ten days later, however, the young reporter was released in exchange for Russian soldiers. Roshchyna returned to Zaporizhzhya.
Then, two years ago, she disappeared again during a trip to the occupied territories. But this time, she never returned. Her family lost contact with her on August 3, and for almost a year, Roshchyna was considered missing. In May 2024, Russia officially confirmed her arrest and that she had been detained. Until then, nothing was known about Roshchyna’s fate.
The Taganrog remand prison, where Roshchyna was last held, is a brutal place, explained Tetyana Katrychenko from the Media Initiative for Human Rights, a Ukrainian NGO.
“It is described as hell on earth. It is largely where the defenders of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol are held. Those who are released say there is terrible torture there,” she wrote on Facebook.
She said that Roshchyna was held in a solitary cell from at least May to September of this year.
‘She stood firm in her convictions’
Her death caused shock and widespread sadness among her colleagues. According to Tetjana Kosak, editor-in-chief of the online portal Graty, Viktoria Roshchyna was “courageous” and “stood firm in her convictions.” She was a talented journalist who had a bright professional future ahead of her. “But in the war, she lost her cool, which is why she was captured in the first place,” Kosak said.
Ye, deputy editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, described Roshchyna as “one of the most difficult journalists I’ve ever worked with” but praised her authenticity and tenacity.
“Sometimes she was unbearable. She took every correction personally,” Buderatskyi wrote. “But no matter what happened, Vika remained true to herself as a journalist. You couldn’t stop her when she set out to do something.”
“Russia killed her, no matter what they are saying there now.”
A journalist at the start of her career
According to the international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders, a total of 29 Ukrainian media workers are currently in Russian captivity.
“We are deeply shocked by Viktoria Roshchynas’ death and mourn with her family,” said Executive Director Anja Osterhaus when the death was reported.
“During the entire 15 months that the journalist was in custody, the Russian authorities did not comment on the reasons or accusations. Despite repeated attempts by Reporters Without Borders and Roshchyna’s relatives, there was no sign of life.”
Roshchyna was still at the very beginning of her career. She had been working as a journalist for a little over six years. Her clients included Ukrayinska Pravda and the news sites Novosti Donbassa and Censor.net. She also worked for Radio Free Europe and Hromadske.
She was known for her critical and determined journalism. In 2022, the International Women’s Media Foundation awarded her the “Courage in Journalism Award” for her reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
‘Order of Freedom’ award
In May, the Ukrainian parliament submitted a request to the president: Volodymyr Zelenskyy should posthumously award Roshchyna the title of “Heroine of Ukraine.” 246 members of parliament voted in favor.
“All relevant investigations are ongoing. Once they are complete, the president will award Viktoriia Roshchyna a state honor. The decision has already been made,” confirmed the presidential office.
On August 2, Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Roshchyna the Order of Freedom. This award is given for civic courage and patriotism, as well as for “selfless dedication to defending the sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian state and the constitutional rights and freedoms of the people.”
This article was originally published in Ukrainian. It was updated on August 8, 2025, to reflect her burial in Kyiv.
