Victoria Roshchyna

October 6, 1996 - September 19, 2024

Victoria Roshchyna was a freelance Ukrainian journalist. She reportedly died on September 19, 2024 while being transported to Moscow under Russian detention. She was 27 years old.

Roshchyna was reported missing in August 2023 while covering events in Russian occupied Ukraine. Six months later, the Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged her captivity. Numerous journalists, activists, and organizations campaigned for her release. 

Andrii Yusov, a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, informed Suspilne Ukraine Public Broadcasting that Roshchyna was expected to be part of a prisoner exchange. Reports indicated she had been detained in a Tagnarog, Russia facility recognized for torture against detainees. Yusov stated that her return had been arranged, and the most recent information suggested she had been moved to Moscow's Lefortovo prison.

Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, noted on national television on October 10 that details surrounding Roshchyna’s death are still under investigation.

For Roshchyna, journalism was not just a job—as friends and colleagues pointed out in numerous social media posts following news of her death—it was her calling and her whole life. She began as a journalist while still a teenager, often covering the most important topics and events for Ukraine.

When Russia launched full-scale war, Roshchyna reported from Shchastia in Luhansk Oblast, one of the first cities to fall under occupation. She later covered the full-scale invasion for multiple Ukrainian news outlets, including Ukrainska Pravda, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports at least 15 journalists have been killed covering the Russia-Ukraine war. In addition to the deaths Ukrainian journalists have been detained in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.