The European Union was "appalled" by Victoria Roshchyna's death and demanded a "thorough and independent" investigation into the circumstances of her death, its External Service's spokesperson said in a statement on Oct. 11.
"The EU demands a thorough and independent investigation that clarifies all the circumstances of Victoria Roshchyna's death as soon as possible," the statement read.
According to the statement, Roshchyna died while being transferred to Moscow from a prison in Taganrog.
Roshchyna was suspected to be held in Russian detention centers where torture is used against prisoners, the Media Initiative for Human Rights said earlier on Oct. 11.
She was the thirteenth journalist to be killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the statement added.
"There can be no impunity for human rights violations and abuses against journalists," the statement added.
Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist, was reported to be dead on Oct.10 after being held in Russian captivity following her disappearance in August 2023 while reporting in Russian-occupied territory.
Roshchyna had covered Russia's full-scale invasion for multiple Ukrainian news outlets, including Hromadske, Ukrainska Pravda, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
In March 2022, Roshchyna was detained for 10 days by Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers while leaving Berdiansk in the direction of Mariupol. As a condition of her release, she was forced to record a video saying Russian forces had saved her life.
Daria Shulzhenko
