Russia returns body of journalist Roshchyna, who died in captivity, without some organs — intl investigation by media outlets
Russia returned the body of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died in captivity, without some internal organs, presumably in order to hide the cause of her death. This is stated in the material of the international organization Forbidden Stories, which continues to investigate dead or persecuted media workers.
It is reported that Roshchyna's death was investigated by 45 journalists from 13 international media outlets, they conducted more than 50 interviews with victims of the Kremlin's prison system. Among them are former prisoners and their relatives, former prison guards and human rights activists.
The article says that Victoria's body was marked with the number 757. The Russian documents stated that it was an "unnamed male." The Russians also left an unknown mark – SPAS. The abbreviation may mean the official cause of death according to Russia: "Extensive Damage to the Coronary Arteries".
The investigative team confirmed that the body was brought to the territory of Ukraine already with signs of an autopsy performed in Russia. According to journalistic sources in law enforcement agencies, Victoria was missing parts of the brain, eyeballs and larynx.
The expert pathologist believes that the lack of these organs may hide the true cause of the journalist's death: strangulation or suffocation. These actions by Moscow can be qualified as a war crime.
Victoria Roshchyna was first captured by the Russians in March 2022. She was traveling from Zaporizhia to Mariupol, but ended up in occupied Berdiansk, where she was held for ten days. There, the journalist was forced to record a video that she did not blame Russia.
On August 3, 2023, Roshchyna disappeared in the temporarily occupied territories from where she was supposed to be reporting. After August 3, Victoria did not get in touch. 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.
Roshchyna's body was returned to Ukraine at the end of February 2025. She was identified using DNA testing. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment were found on the journalist's body. Due to the condition of the body, it was not possible to determine the cause of death.
