Ukrainian journalist tortured in Russian captivity: media report

Ukrainian journalist tortured and killed in Russian captivity, sparking international outcry and calls for justice.

Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, was tortured and had organs removed before her body was returned, according to a joint media report dubbed Forbidden Stories published Tuesday (April 29, 2025).

In February, Russia returned Roshchyna’s emaciated body with signs of torture and some organs removed, possibly to hide further traces of torture, the report by media outlets including The Washington Post, The Guardian, Ukrainska Pravda, and iStories, said citing Ukrainian prosecutors.

The forensic examination “revealed numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment”, the prosecutors were quoted as saying.

These included “a broken rib, neck injuries, and possible electric shock marks on her feet,” according to Yuriy Belousov, head of the War Crimes Unit at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s office.

Despite a high DNA match, the journalist’s father does not believe the body is his daughter’s and he has requested further forensic analyses.

Roshchyna, who worked for Ukrainska Pravda and Hromadske, went missing in 2023 when she was 27, while in Russian-occupied territories in southeast Ukraine investigating alleged torture prisons.

Ukrainian journalists rarely go to Russian-occupied areas because of the high risks. Roschyna is the first Ukrainian journalist to die in Russian captivity.