15 Facts About Victoria Roshchyna

Victoria Volodymyrivna Roshchyna was a Ukrainian journalist who reported on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Siege of Mariupol.

Victoria Roshchyna was a recipient of the International Women's Media Foundation's 2022 Courage in Journalism Award.

When Victoria Roshchyna's body was returned to Ukraine, it bore signs of torture and had some organs removed.

Victoria Roshchyna began working as a journalist when she was a teenager, covering court decisions and crime.

Victoria Roshchyna worked as a freelance journalist for Ukrainska Pravda, Radio Free Europe, and Hromadske.

Victoria Roshchyna was detained by the Russian military in Vasylivka in March 2022, but managed to escape after hiding in a basement overnight.

Victoria Roshchyna was only allowed free after she made a videotape stating that the Russian forces had saved her life.

Victoria Roshchyna wrote an article about her time in captivity for Hromadske.

Victoria Roshchyna refused to attend the award ceremony, so she could instead focus on her reporting.

In July 2023, Victoria Roshchyna went to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, possibly to report on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis and the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.

Victoria Roshchyna told her family on 3 August 2023 that she had passed through the border checks; it was the last time they heard from her.

Victoria Roshchyna's disappearance was made public on 4 October 2023 by her family, through reports in The Daily Beast and Ukrainska Pravda.

Victoria Roshchyna's death was announced on 10 October 2024 by Petro Yatsenko of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Victoria Roshchyna's body was returned to Ukraine in February 2025 following DNA identification.

Victoria Roshchyna's body arrived in a batch of 757 bodies as part of exchange, marked as "unidentified male" but examination by forensic experts indicated the body was of a female, and DNA analysis confirmed Roshchyna's identity.