Unlawful Detention of Journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna

General Description of the Case

Viktoriia Roshchyna was a Ukrainian journalist who went missing in August 2023 while carrying out journalistic work in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In April 2024, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation confirmed her detention. However, the Russian side did not provide information about the date or legal grounds for her detention, her procedural status, her health condition, or the possibility of contacting with her. For an extended period, her family received no reliable information about her whereabouts or fate.

According to available information, Viktoriia Roshchyna was held in places of detention in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation, including in the city of Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, and the city of Kizel, Perm Krai. 

In October 2024, her family was informed by the Russian side that Viktoriia had died on 19 September 2024. The notification did not specify the circumstances, cause or place of her death. 

In February 2025, Viktoriia Roshchyna’s body was returned to Ukraine as part of the repatriation of human remains. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, a forensic examination revealed numerous bodily injuries and signs that may indicate torture and other ill-treatment.

Key Violation

• Arbitrary deprivation of liberty;
• Enforced disappearance;
• Torture and inhuman or degrading treatment;
• Violation of the right to life.

Our Role

• Representing Viktoriia Roshchyna’s family in criminal proceedings;
• Providing legal consultations and assistance to the family regarding access to social benefits provided for under Ukrainian law.

Status of the Case

At the national level, the pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings is ongoing. Since October 2026, ULAG has no longer represented the family’s interests in this case.