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Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna has been posthumously awarded the Order of Freedom, Ukraine’s highest civilian honour, following confirmation of her death in Russian captivity. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the award in recognition of her “outstanding personal contribution to the development of independent journalism, the defence of freedom of speech, and unwavering civic position.”
Roshchyna, 28, was an award-winning freelance war reporter who had covered frontline stories in eastern and southern Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. She went missing in August 2022 while reporting in the occupied territories. After nearly three years of silence and failed efforts to secure her release, Ukraine’s security services confirmed she died in Russian detention after enduring torture.
Her death marks a chilling milestone in Russia’s ongoing persecution of journalists. According to Ukrainian officials, Roshchyna was targeted for her reporting, which shed light on war crimes, occupation tactics, and civilian suffering in Russian-held areas. Before her disappearance, she had already been detained by Russian forces once in 2022 and released under pressure from international advocacy groups.
Victoria’s colleagues remember her as fearless, principled, and deeply committed to telling the truth. Her reports appeared in major Ukrainian and international outlets, including Ukrainska Pravda and Hromadske. In 2022, she was named among Reporters Without Borders’ laureates for Press Freedom.
During a sombre ceremony in Kyiv, the president presented the Order of Freedom to her family, praising her “strength, honesty, and sacrifice.” Tributes poured in from around the world, with journalists and human rights groups calling her death a war crime and a symbol of the dangerous reality for those reporting from conflict zones.
Victoria Roshchyna’s name now joins the growing list of journalists killed while seeking the truth. Her legacy stands as a testament to courage in the face of oppression.
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