The Ukrainian authorities are working on returning the body of journalist Viktoria Roschchyna who died in Russian captivity.
Yaroslav Yerchyshyn is the Ukrainian deputy who told a Ukrinform correspondent that the family of Viktoria Roshchyna, a journalist, has received information on when her body may be returned to Ukraine.
Roshchyna disappeared on 3 August 2023 during a visit to the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. The journalist had left Ukraine for Poland a month earlier and was supposed reach the occupied eastern Ukraine via Russia in three days.
In 2024, Russia will confirm for the first time its illegal possession of Roshchyna.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn announced on 10 October that Viktoria’s father had received notification of her death on 19 September.
According to official information provided by Russian authorities, her death occurred during a transfer of a Taganrog detention facility to a Moscow prison.
Yurchyshyn didn’t give an exact date when the body of the Ukrainian journalist would be returned. However, he said that it would happen “soon.”
“There was information to the effect that Viktoria would be prepared for an exchange. This would have been our second successful attempt to free a journalist. “Unfortunately, this time it didn’t work out,” he said.
Yurchyshyn reminded that on 28th June 2024, Ukraine returned Nariman dzhelyal to Russia, who was the First Deputy Chairperson of the Mejlis for the Crimean Tatars and a journalist.
He said that the entire Ukrainian government would respond to Viktoria’s death in Russian captivity, not just the Ukrainian parliament.
Dmytro Lubinits, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights has already begun to document the death as a war crimes, according to the deputy. The military prosecutor is currently working to open a criminal investigation into intentional murder.
Yurchyshyn stated that Reporters Without Borders will demand an investigation into the crime. He also emphasized that Russia had already killed 12 civilian journalist and held many more hostages.
The official also reported Ukraine’s cooperation with European organizations protecting freedom of speech in order to bring attention to Ukrainian civil journalists held in Russian captivity including Dmytro Kheliuk.
Khiliuk was a journalist working for the Ukrainian news agency “UNIAN”. He was kidnapped on 3 March 2022 by Russian forces in his village of Kozarovychi. The Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv and Kyiv Region is investigating his kidnapping.
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