Russia dragging out process of returning journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna's body to Ukraine – Ukrainian MP

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — Monday, 4 November 2024, 17:36

Viktoriia Roshchyna

The Russians are delaying the return of the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity.

Source: Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Ukrainian MP and Chairman of the Committee on Freedom of Speech, at a briefing, as quoted by Ukrinform

Quote: "Regarding the case of Viktoriia Roshchyna… Russia is not even allowing her story to conclude. Her father has yet to receive additional official confirmation [concerning his daughter's death – ed.] from the Russian side. Consequently, Russia is delaying the handover of Viktoriia’s body to Ukraine. We cannot hold a funeral or obtain any specific information."

Details: Yurchyshyn also emphasised that Ukraine must work to secure the release of every civilian journalist, and indeed every Ukrainian civilian and political prisoner.

Background:

In March 2022, Roshchyna was captured by the Russians and held for 10 days in Berdiansk, Donetsk Oblast.
In 2022, Roshchyna wrote a series of articles for Ukrainska Pravda from the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, she wrote about life in occupied Crimea during the war and a sham referendum in occupied Donetsk Oblast. She also made a photo report from the destroyed city of Mariupol.
Roshchyna left Ukraine for Poland on 25 July 2023 to travel to the occupied territory. She planned to reach the occupied part of Ukraine's east via Russia in three days.
Roshchyna disappeared on 3 August 2023 in the Russian-occupied territory from where she was reporting.
In May 2024, Russia admitted for the first time that it had detained Roshchyna. The Russian Ministry of Defence sent a letter of confirmation to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn.
On 10 October 2024, Petro Yatsenko, the head of the press service of the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said during the 24/7 national joint newscast that Viktoriia Roshchyna had died in Russian custody. Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said that she was to be brought back to Ukraine in the near future.
On 11 October 2024, the criminal case opened over the disappearance of Ukrainian freelance journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was reclassified as a war crime combined with premeditated murder.