Horror over the story of Viktoriia Roshchyna , the Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity after being captured in the occupied territories in 2023.

It took two years for the body to be returned, last February, to the family, and what Kiev is now denouncing is horrifying: a mummified corpse, almost unrecognizable, with indelible and numerous signs of torture, as well as the clear absence of some internal organs.

The truth comes from an investigation conducted by Ukrainian authorities and reported by Ukrainska Pravda, the newspaper for which the Ukrainian reporter worked as a freelancer.

The newspaper dedicated the "Viktoriia Project" to the young woman, an international initiative launched by Forbidden Stories with the involvement of media outlets from around the world - including the Guardian, the Washington Post, Le Monde, Der Spiegel - to investigate the circumstances of Roshchyna's imprisonment and the Ukrainians held captive in Russia.

CAPTURE AND CAPTIVITY – In July 2023, Roshchyna had reached the occupied territories to make a report. On August 3 of that year, she disappeared, and only in May 2024 did Russia admit to her arrest. On October 10, the following year, Ukrainian authorities confirmed that the woman had died in Russian custody. Her body was returned in an exchange on February 14, 2025: it was labeled with the number 757, with the words "unidentified male". However, during the initial examination, forensic doctors determined that the body belonged to a woman. And an investigation conducted by the General Prosecutor's Office revealed a 99% DNA match with the journalist.

Yurii Bielousov, head of the Department of War at the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, said that numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment were found on Roshchyna's body, including abrasions and bruises on various parts of her body and a broken rib. Experts also found possible signs of electric shock.

"The injuries were inflicted while she was alive . Therefore, there is a high probability that she was tortured," Bielousov said.

The investigative team that conducted the investigation later told Ukrainska Pravda that the body showed signs of an autopsy performed in Russia. During the examination in Ukraine, several internal organs were found to be missing, including the brain, eyeballs and part of the trachea. An international forensic scientist consulted by the Ukrainian newspaper believes that the absence of these organs may have concealed evidence that death was caused by strangulation or suffocation.

(Online Union)

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