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Viktoriia Roshchyna, Ukrainian journalist tortured and murdered in Russian prison VIDEO

An international investigation reveals shocking details about the death of the Ukrainska Pravda reporter, who disappeared in 2023: her body shows signs of torture and mutilation. Kiev demands justice

Viktoriia Roshchyna, the young Ukrainian journalist who disappeared in 2023 while investigating Russian-occupied territories, was tortured and deprived of organs during her imprisonment. This was revealed by a joint investigation by the Washington Post, The Guardian and Ukrainska Pravda, which sheds new light on the inhuman conditions in Russian detention centres.

According to Ukrainian forensic doctors, the body returned last February had a broken rib, wounds on the neck and possible traces of electric shocks on the feet, unmistakable signs of torture suffered. Some internal organs were missing. Yuriy Belousov, head of the war crimes unit of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, confirmed that the body showed ‘numerous signs of ill-treatment’.

Doubts about identification and forced silences
Despite the identification by DNA tests, the reporter’s father expressed doubts about the identity of the body and requested further examinations. The 27-year-old journalist worked for Ukrainska Pravda and Hromadske and was engaged in an investigation into alleged abuses committed against Ukrainian prisoners.

Roshchyna had disappeared in 2023 in the Russian-occupied south-east of Ukraine, an area considered highly dangerous for journalists. According to the investigation, she was held in the Sizo-2 prison in Taganrog, southern Russia, a facility where thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been imprisoned since the beginning of the conflict, often without formal charges or contact with the outside world.

Kiev: ‘Immediate international response needed’
The affair has sparked deep indignation in Ukraine, where authorities are calling for international action. ‘The issue of civilian hostages requires more attention and a strong response,’ said Georgiy Tykhy, Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The Roshchyna case is the first documented case of a Ukrainian journalist who died in a Russian prison since the start of the invasion. The investigation rekindles alarm over the fate of illegally detained civilians and human rights violations in the occupied territories.