Journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, fatally held in captivity, receives the Order of Freedom posthumously.
Viktoriia Roshchyna, a 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist, tragically lost her life while in Russian captivity on October 2024[1]. Her death drew international attention to the severe risks faced by journalists in areas of conflict and under Russian control.
Roshchyna was known for her dedication to reporting the truth about the war, working on the frontlines and in temporarily occupied territories. Her work included stories about life in occupied Crimea during the war, the sham referendum in occupied Donetsk Oblast, and a photo report from the devastated city of Mariupol[6].
Roshchyna left Ukraine for Poland on July 25, 2023, with plans to travel via Russia to occupied Ukrainian territory. She went missing on August 3, 2023, on Russian-occupied territory[1]. Russia admitted to detaining Roshchyna in May 2024, but broke its word to release her[3].
Forensic examinations following the return of her body to Ukraine on February [unspecified year] revealed multiple signs of torture, including neck trauma, bone fractures, hemorrhages in soft tissues, abrasions, and a broken rib[2]. The exact cause of her death remains undetermined due to the state of her remains at the time of examination.
In recognition of her courage and sacrifice, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posthumously awarded Viktoriia Roshchyna the Order of Freedom on August 2, 2022[3]. The Order of Freedom is a significant honor in Ukraine, awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the country's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity[4]. The posthumous honor underscores Roshchyna's unwavering belief that freedom will overcome everything.
President Zelenskyy described Roshchyna as embodying freedom itself, and urged journalists and the broader public to remember her[3]. Her story serves as a reminder of the human cost of the ongoing conflict and the atrocities committed by occupying forces.
References
- Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna dies in Russian captivity
- Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna died from multiple signs of torture, autopsy reveals
- President Zelenskyy posthumously awards journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna Order of Freedom
- Order of Freedom
- Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna: Russia must face justice for her death
- Viktoriia Roshchyna's Last Reports
- The tragedy of Viktoriia Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who died under Russian captivity in October 2024, shed light on the dangerous conditions that journalists face in zones of conflict and under Russian control, particularly during war-and-conflicts.
- The government Awarded Viktoriia Roshchyna, a courageous journalist who lost her life while reporting in areas controlled by the occupying forces, the Order of Freedom posthumously, emphasizing the importance of freedom of the press in times of violence and political strife.
