Viktoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist held captive by Russia, has died, said Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, on national television on Oct. 10.
The circumstances of her death are still being confirmed, Yatsenko said.
Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 while reporting in Russian-occupied territory. Her father received a letter from Russia's Defense Ministry in April of the following year confirming that she was being detained by Russian authorities.
Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military intelligence agency, told the Suspilne media outlet that Roshchyna was supposed to be included in an upcoming prisoner exchange.
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.
The Kyiv Independent
(Updated: )
