The body of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roschina has been successfully returned to Ukraine after she went missing in occupied territories in 2023 and was confirmed dead in captivity of the aggressor country - Russia. Her identity was confirmed through DNA testing.
This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Leonid Tymchenko, in an interview with Censor.NET.
The body of journalist Roschina was returned as part of a recent repatriation that took place at the end of February this year. According to Tymchenko, her identity was confirmed using DNA testing.
The body of Victoria Roschina, who died in Russian captivity, was returned to Ukraine back in February, but the identification process took a long time due to the need for multiple DNA tests.
This was reported by the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshin, referring to official information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
“We have already received official information from the Ministry. It can be stated that the body of Victoria has indeed been returned,” Yurchyshin said.
The Member of Parliament emphasized that although the body was returned back in February, “time was needed for the tests.” “As far as I know, it was Victoria's father, logically, who insisted on several tests, both in Ukraine and abroad, to be sure that this was indeed Victoria's body,” the committee head noted. According to him, the journalist's family is still waiting for the final results of additional tests.
Yurchyshin stressed that such a meticulous identification procedure was necessary, as Russia has repeatedly employed tactics of substituting the bodies of Ukrainians they have killed.
As previously reported, journalist Victoria Roschina went missing in August 2023 during a trip to the territories temporarily occupied by Russia. According to human rights defenders, she was held in two prisons in the Russian Federation known for their particularly harsh conditions.
Death of Victoria Roschina in Russian Captivity: What is Known
Victoria Roschina worked as a journalist in the combat zone from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, covering the situation at the front.
On March 16, 2022, she was first detained by Russian special services in occupied Berdyansk. On March 22 of the same year, she was released, but before that, she was forced to record a video stating that she had no complaints against the FSB of Russia.
In August 2023, Victoria Roschina went missing again while working in the occupied territories. In September 2023, her family filed a missing person report with the relevant Ukrainian and international authorities. Only in May 2024 did Russia officially confirm to the Ukrainian side and international organizations the fact of the journalist's detention and her presence on Russian territory. The circumstances of her death in captivity are currently undisclosed.