A Ukrainian journalist who was captured by Moscow while reporting from occupied east Ukraine has died in Russian detention, a Ukrainian official said Thursday.
Victoria Roshchyna, who would have turned 28 this month, disappeared in August last year after travelling to Russian-held east Ukraine for a report.
She remained missing until April 2024, when her father received a letter from Moscow’s defense ministry saying she was being held in Russian detention, according to Ukraine’s main journalist union.
The circumstances of her arrest were not made public and it was not clear where she was being held inside Russia.
“Unfortunately, information about Victoria’s death has been confirmed,” said Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s prison of war coordination headquarters on Thursday.
“It is too early to talk about the circumstances of the death, we are working to establish them,” he added.
In a social media post, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine condemned the killing and called for an immediate investigation.
“We urge the world community to step up pressure on Russia to release all Ukrainian journalists who are illegally held by the occupiers,” the group said.
Russian news outlet Mediazona reported she died while being transferred to Moscow from a prison in Taganrog, near the Ukrainian border.
Thousands of Ukrainians opposed to Moscow’s rule have been detained in occupied territories since Russia’s invasion began in 2022, many of whom face torture at the hands of security forces, according to rights groups.
In January 2024, BBC Russia reported that thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including journalists, in Russian custody were being held without charges or access to legal counsel.
Ukraine said in May more than two dozen Ukrainian media officials were being held in Russian captivity and that negotiations on their return were underway.
Roshchyna worked as a freelancer for various independent news outlets including Ukrainska Pravda and had collaborated with the Ukrainian service of U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe.
In March 2022, Roshchina was detained by Russian forces for 10 days while reporting in southeastern Ukraine, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In 2022, she was awarded the Courage in Journalism award by the International Women’s Media Foundation for her reporting from east Ukraine.
“Victoria’s passing is not just the loss of a remarkable woman, but of an intrepid witness to history,” the group said in a statement on Thursday. “Regardless of her cause of death, we can say with certainty that her life was taken because she dared tell the truth. We hope her death will not be in vain: the international community must pressure Russia to cease targeting journalists and silencing press freedom.”
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