Ukraine Loses Ninth Female Journalist in Russian Detention

Nov 1, 2024 – Ukraine/Russia –

Ukrainian freelance reporter Victoria Roshchyna, just 27, became the ninth female journalist killed while covering the Russia–Ukraine war since February 2022. She disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Russian‑occupied Zaporizhzhia and remained missing until a May 2024 admission by Russian authorities confirming her detention in Taganrog prison.

In October 2024, Kyiv received notice that Roshchyna had died in Russian custody. Her body was repatriated in February 2025, but horrifyingly mutilated, missing vital organs like the brain, eyes, and larynx, with further signs of torture and possible electric shocks and strangulation. A forensic report by Forbidden Stories and Ukrainian investigators unearthed broken ribs, hemorrhaging, and signs of prolonged abuse, amplifying concerns of a calculated effort to conceal the truth.

Her death has prompted global outrage. Human Rights Watch and The Guardian have detailed brutal conditions in Taganrog and Berdyansk prisons, naming her death by torture a potential war crime. The EU condemned it as “illegal arbitrary detention,” demanding accountability. Roshchyna had previously been abducted in March 2022 but was released following international pressure and subsequent nomination for the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award 2022.

Her case underscores a disturbing pattern: Russia’s escalating campaign of intimidation and violence—especially against female journalists—both inside Ukraine and abroad. Since 2022, 64 female journalists have been detained, 11 abducted, and several have faced transnational repression, including poisonings.

Roshchyna’s story is a chilling reminder of the deadly cost of frontline reporting. As global pressure mounts, international bodies and governments are being urged to investigate her death, hold perpetrators accountable, and demand transparency from Russia.

Her legacy amplifies a vital plea: women journalists are essential witnesses to wartime truths. But until states act decisively against impunity and protect media workers, their work and lives remain perilously unprotected.

Reference – 

A ninth woman has died reporting on the Ukraine conflict. Russia’s war on journalists must end

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/nov/01/ninth-woman-died-reporting-ukraine-russia-war-journalists-victoria-roshchyna