Viktoria Roșcina, a 28-year-old Ukrainian journalist known for her courageous reporting from Russian-occupied territories, has died in Russian custody under unclear circumstances.
Firsthand Reports from Crimea
Roșcina, who worked for Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske Radio, and U.S.-funded Radio Liberty, was an independent voice covering life under Russian occupation.
She gained attention for her firsthand reports from Crimea following Russia's annexation in 2014 and from regions in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists, according to Ziare.
Roșcina also chronicled the nearly three-month defense of Mariupol when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Roșcina was first detained for 10 days in southern Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion.
On a list for Prisoners Exchange
In August 2023, while on a new assignment in Russian-occupied regions, she disappeared. It wasn't until May that Russian officials confirmed she was in custody.
The details of her death remain unknown. Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for the office responsible for the welfare of prisoners of war, made the announcement on Ukrainian television.
According to Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR), Roșcina was on a list of prisoners set to be exchanged. She was expected to be transferred to Moscow from a prison in the southern Russian city of Taganrog before her untimely death.
At least 17 journalists have been killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine, according to international organizations.
