The war was her topic: Since the beginning of Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roschtschyna has repeatedly put herself in danger to report on people in the occupied territories of her homeland. She has now paid for her courage with her life: The 27-year-old died after 15 months in Russian captivity during her transfer from a prison in the southern Russian city of Taganrog to Moscow. She was close to freedom: Roschtschyna is said to have been on the verge of a prisoner exchange.
Her death was announced in Ukraine on October 10th. The head of the Ukrainian coordination staff for prisoner issues, Petro Yatsenko, announced this on television. The circumstances of her death are still unclear. A representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that an exchange had already been agreed with the Russian Federation. “According to the latest information, she was taken to the Lefortovo detention center to prepare for her return home. She should be home soon,” he said. Lefortovo Prison is located in Moscow.
The journalist’s family had previously received a letter from the Russian Ministry of Defense stating that Roschyna had died on September 19th. Just a few days later, on October 6th, she would have been 28 years old.
Trapped in “Hell on Earth”
It was not her first captivity: She was arrested and imprisoned by the Russian security service in the southern Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk in March 2022. The accusation was espionage. Ten days later, however, the young woman was released in exchange for Russian soldiers and she returned to Zaporizhia.
She then disappeared again in August 2023 during a trip to the occupied territories and was never expected to return home. Her family lost contact with her on August 3rd and Rostchyna was missing for almost a year. It was not until May 2024 that Russia officially confirmed her arrest and stay in the Russian Federation. Until then, nothing was known about Roshtchyna’s fate.
The Taganrog detention center where the journalist was last held is a brutal place, explains Tetyana Katrichenko from the Media Initiative for Human Rights. “It is described as hell on earth. In Taganrog, in particular, defenders of the embattled Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are being held. Those released report terrible torture,” Katrichenko said on Facebook. Roshtchyna was held in a solitary cell in Taganrog from at least May to September of this year.
“She stood firm in her convictions”
Her death caused consternation and much sympathy among colleagues. According to Tetyana Kosak, editor-in-chief of the online portal Graty, Viktoria Roschtchyna was “courageous” and she “stood firm in her convictions.” She was a talented journalist who still had a great professional future ahead of her. “But during the war, all of her safety measures were blown, which is why she was taken prisoner for the first time,” said Kosak.
“Vika was one of the most difficult journalists I have ever worked with. At times she was unbearable. She took every correction personally. But no matter what happened, Vika remained true to herself as a journalist. You couldn’t stop her when she set her mind to something “Russia killed them, no matter what they say there now,” writes Yevhen Buderatskyi, deputy editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda.
No sign of life in 15 months in prison
“We are deeply shocked by Viktoria Roschtschyna’s death and mourn with her relatives,” explains Anja Osterhaus from Reporters Without Borders. “During the entire 15 months that the journalist was in custody, the Russian authorities did not comment on the reasons or allegations. Despite repeated attempts by Reporters Without Borders and Rostchyna’s relatives, there was no sign of life,” said Osterhaus. The organization is aware of 19 Ukrainian journalists who are in Russian custody.
Oksana Romanjuk, head of the Ukrainian Institute for Mass Information, speaks of 30 Ukrainian journalists in Russian captivity. “Where is the exchange, the international community?” she asks in a post on Facebook.
Demonstration in memory of Viktoria Rostchyna in KievImage: Igor Burdyga/DW
Rostchyna was still at the very beginning of her career. She had only been working as a journalist for around six years. Her clients included Ukrayinska Pravda and the news sites Novosti Donbassa and Censor.net. She also worked for the stations “Radio Free Europe” and “Hromadske”. She was considered a critical and determined journalist. In 2022, the International Women’s Media Foundation awarded her the “Courage in Journalism Award” for her coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022.
Minute’s silence in Parliament
There is also consternation over the death of Viktoria Rostchyna in Ukrainian politics. The Ukrainian parliament began its session on October 11th with a minute’s silence and President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of a “serious blow”. In a post on Telegram, he also remembered the many other journalists, public figures and ordinary people who are still in Russian captivity. Zelensky noted that their return was the main topic during the meeting with Pope Francis.
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine has opened a criminal murder case in Roshchyna’s case and the European Union is calling for an immediate and independent investigation into the case. “The EU is appalled by reports of the death of Ukrainian freelance journalist Viktoria Roschyna during her illegal arbitrary Russian detention,” said Foreign and Security Policy Spokesman Peter Stano. The EU is deeply concerned about harassment, intimidation and violence by Russia against journalists and media professionals reporting on events in the war zone and on the front lines.
“We strongly condemn the killings, physical attacks, arbitrary arrests, online and offline intimidation, harassment and surveillance to which journalists are sometimes subjected in the exercise of their profession,” Stano continued. There should be no impunity for human rights violations and mistreatment of journalists.
