The body of the Ukrainian journalist Roschtschyna was handed over by Russia in February. According to research, she has traces of heavy torture – from Russian imprisonment? Russia may have wanted to cover up the cause of death.
Has the Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roschtschyna, who died in Russian imprisonment? According to media reports, Ukrainian investigators are said to have found this when examining the body of the 27-year-old. As can be seen from a common research by media such as the Washington Post, the British Guardian, Ukrainska Prawda and the independent Russian portal ISTORIS, the body showed traces of torture when returning. Organs were also taken, which indicated that the cause of death should be covered up.
The journalist traveled from Kiev via Poland and the Baltic States to Russia in July 2023 and from there in turn to the areas of Russia in Ukraine. In the Saporischschja region, she researched alleged Russian torture prisons. There she was arrested at the end of August and initially caught in Melitopol. In December, according to eyewitness reports, Roschtschyna was already completely removed into the Russian Taganrog. She came to the hospital several times. Russia only confirmed their arrest in August 2024.
In September 2024, the journalist was to be released as part of a prisoner exchange, but was deleted from the list at the last moment. A month later, the Russian prison authority informed the relatives on request that Roschtschyna had died. Her body was handed over in February 2025 – as the remains of an allegedly unknown man. Identification only achieved a DNA test.
Broken rib, Electric shock traces
During an autopsy of Roschyna's body, doctors found “numerous signs of torture and abuse”, the media now quoted the public prosecutor in their research. This included broken ribs, neck injuries and alleged traces of electric shocks on their feet, the head of the department for the investigation of war crimes at the Ukrainian Attorney General, Juri Belussow said.
In addition, according to investigative circles, the body was missing several organs, including the eyes, the larynx and parts of the brain. With their removal, torture traces may be covered up. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined due to the condition of the body.
Kyiv appeals to international community
Kyiv called for the international community for a reaction to the report. The problem of civilians who were deprived of and captured by Russia requires an “immediate and determined reaction,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tychy. The Ukrainian ambassador in Germany, Oleksii Makeieev wrote on X: “This is what Russian crew looks like.”
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are recorded in Russian prisons or in occupied Ukrainian areas. According to NGOs and media reports, many of the prisoners are tortured.
Conflict parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and victims through official bodies of the Russian and the Ukrainian parties of conflict cannot be checked directly from an independent position in the current situation.
