The European Union and United States have condemned Moscow over the death in custody of award-winning Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, as Kyiv called for international action over Russia’s alleged execution of captured Ukrainian soldiers.
Ms Roshchyna (27) went missing during a reporting trip to occupied eastern Ukraine in August 2023, and her whereabouts were unknown until her father received a letter from the Russian defence ministry in April saying she had been detained.
Her father received another short letter from the ministry this month saying that Ms Roshchyna had died in September and that her remains would be returned to Ukraine in an exchange of bodies between the warring neighbours. There was no information about how or where she died in the letter.
Ukrainian officials have confirmed Ms Roshchyna’s death and say it happened in unclear circumstances when she was being moved from Taganrog in southern Russia to Moscow in advance of a planned prisoner swap in which she was scheduled to return home.
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The EU said it was “appalled by the reports about the death of Ukrainian freelance journalist Victoria Roshchyna while in illegal arbitrary Russian detention ... Her fate is a tragic reminder of the many thousands of persons detained in occupied Ukrainian territories and Russia, as well as the repression imposed by Russian authorities, also in Russia.”
“The EU demands a thorough and independent investigation that clarifies all the circumstances of Victoria Roshchyna’s death as soon as possible,” the statement added. “The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Russia has not commented publicly on Ms Roshchyna’s death but routinely denies kidnapping civilians, mistreating prisoners and committing war crimes.
The US embassy in Kyiv was “deeply troubled” by her death and said it “highlights Russia’s ongoing kidnapping and imprisonment of journalists, a blatant attack on free media and truth. Russia will be held to account.”
Ms Roshchyna received a Courage in Journalism award from the US-based International Women’s Media Foundation in 2022, after she had been detained for the first time in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
“Regardless of her cause of death, we can say with certainty that her life was taken because she dared tell the truth. We hope her death will not be in vain: the international community must pressure Russia to cease targeting journalists and silencing press freedom,” the foundation said.
Ukraine reclassified the investigation into Ms Roshchyna’s disappearance into a murder and war crimes case, and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said her death was a “real blow”.
Ukraine has also launched an investigation into the alleged execution of nine of its servicemen in the Kursk region on Russia, about 1,000km² of which is now controlled by Kyiv’s forces. The case was opened after drone footage appeared online showing nine men stripped to their underwear and lying face down in a field.
“These actions should not go unpunished, and the enemy should bear all responsibility. Russia is a terrorist country that violates all the rules and customs of war. The international community should not turn a blind eye to such crimes!” Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote on social media.
Mr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian troops were holding their ground against Russian attacks in Kursk region, while Moscow said its forces were continuing to advance in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Russia claimed on Sunday to have seized the village of Mykhailivka, 25km south of the strategic city of Pokrovsk. Ukraine said there was heavy fighting in the area.
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