A new forensic examination of the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who died in Russian captivity, has revealed several injuries that were not previously reported.
LIGA.net writes about this with reference to the official response of the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office.
The examination was conducted on July 9 by the Main Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health. It found that Roshchyna had a neck injury, bone fractures, hemorrhages in the soft tissues of the temporal region, right shoulder and lower legs, and an abrasion on her left foot.
A preliminary examination indicated hemorrhages in various parts of the body and a broken rib. Despite the new data, the cause of the journalistʼs death has still not been established.
"At the time of the examination, Roshchynaʼs body was in a state of pronounced cadaveric changes with tissue structure disorders, which does not allow establishing the cause of death and linking it to bodily injuries," said the head of the Information Policy and Communications Department of the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office Maryana Hajovska-Kovbasyuk.
According to Hajovska-Kovbasiuk, the results of the study of biological samples previously taken from Roshchynaʼs body by French experts are not yet available. She added that the body was transferred to Ukraine in a state of "deep freezing with signs of mummification and decomposition".
The capture and death of Viktoria Roshchyna
Viktoria Roshchyna was first captured by the Russians in March 2022. She was traveling from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol, but ended up in occupied Berdyansk, where she was held for 10 days. There, the journalist was forced to record a video saying that she did not blame Russia.
A year later, on August 3, 2023, Roshchyna disappeared in the temporarily occupied territories from where she was supposed to be reporting. After August 3, Viktoria did not make any contact. In May 2024, Russia confirmed that it was again holding her captive.
On October 10, it became known that Roshchyna died during a transfer from Taganrog to Moscow. The cause of her death and when it happened were not reported.
The GUR representative Andriy Yusov told Babel that Ukraine already had agreements on Roshchynaʼs return home and she was supposed to return to Ukraine in the near future.
On October 11, the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office further qualified the criminal proceedings opened into her disappearance, adding Part 2 of Article 438 of the countryʼs Criminal Code — violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder.
Roshchynaʼs body was returned to Ukraine at the end of February 2025. She was identified using DNA testing. According to the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office, numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment were found on the journalistʼs body. Due to the condition of the body, it was not possible to determine the cause of death.
The international organization Forbidden Stories found out that the journalistʼs body was returned without some of her internal organs. Presumably, they wanted to hide the cause of her death.
In May, the Verkhovna Rada sent a request to the president to award Viktoria Roshchyna the title of Hero of Ukraine.
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