Overview

• Viktoriia Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist, disappeared on August 3, 2023, while reporting in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine; Russia admitted her detention in May 2024.
• Her body, returned to Ukraine on February 14, 2025, was mislabeled as an unidentified male and showed extensive signs of torture, including broken ribs, electric-shock injuries, and bruising.
• Ukrainian forensic experts found that several organs, including the brain, eyes, and part of the trachea, were missing, likely removed to conceal evidence of suffocation or strangulation.
• Investigations by Ukrainian prosecutors and the international Forbidden Stories network have documented systematic abuse in Russian detention facilities, linking Roshchyna’s case to broader patterns of war crimes.
• The findings have intensified calls for accountability, as the case underscores the dangers faced by journalists and civilians in conflict zones.