Award-winning Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, known for her reporting on life in Russian-occupied Ukraine, has died in detention in Russia at the age of 27. Roshchyna, who worked freelance for Ukrainian media outlets as well as US-funded Radio Liberty, went missing in August last year after travelling to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine for a reporting trip. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed her detention in May, and Ukraine’s prisoners of war coordination headquarters confirmed her death in September. An investigation is ongoing into the circumstances of her death.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on Russian authorities to provide information on Roshchyna’s detention and death, as they had not responded to requests from her family, Ukrainian authorities, or RSF. Roshchyna had written vivid accounts of life in Crimea and eastern Ukraine seized by Russian-funded separatists, as well as the defence of Mariupol during the Russian invasion. She had previously been detained by the Russians for 10 days at the start of the war.
Roshchyna was due to be part of a proposed prisoner exchange when she died in Russian custody. Ukraine has stated that negotiations for the return of more than two dozen Ukrainian media workers held in Russian captivity are ongoing. RSF noted that Roshchyna was the 13th journalist to die as a result of their work since the Russian invasion. Her father received news of her death on October 10, 2024.
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