Kiev says award-winning Ukrainian journalist dies in captivity in Russia: NPR

Viktoria Roshina, a Ukrainian journalist who was detained by Russia for more than a year, has died while in detention in Russia. Ukrainian officials confirmed Thursday.

Petro Yatsenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian Prisoners of War Coordination Headquarters, told Ukrainian TV that the circumstances surrounding Roshina’s death remain unclear.

Yatsenko said: “It is too early to talk about the circumstances of death, and we are working to determine them.”

According to A Statement issued by Reporters Without Borders to monitor press freedomOr RSF, Roshina’s family received a letter on Thursday from the Russian Defense Ministry informing them of her death on September 19.

Roshina, who would have turned 28 this month, was one of 20 Ukrainian journalists detained by Russia over their reporting since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. According to Reporters Without Borders.

Best known for her articles documenting daily life in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, she disappeared on August 3, 2023, while traveling on a mission to the Russian-occupied town of Zaporizhya. According to the International Women’s Media Foundation. Her whereabouts remained unknown for eight months until the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed her detention in April 2024.

“The Russian authorities have never provided any information about her detention, despite repeated requests from her family, the Ukrainian authorities and RSF,” said Jeanne Cavelier, head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. She added: [Russia] All circumstances surrounding her arrest and death must be shed light. Our thoughts and support go out to her loved ones.”

On social media, friends and colleagues expressed their shock, and some also demanded more answers from Russia about Roshina’s death.

“I have a question. What did they do to her? What could have been done to a little girl to make her die?” Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the non-profit Center for Civil Liberties of Ukraine books On X. “I call on all press organizations from different countries to formally demand an answer from Russia.”

Natalia Gumenyuk, a Ukrainian journalist and former colleague of Roshina, I remembered it She described her as “the most courageous and determined,” adding, “She took a risk by telling the truth about the occupation.”

According to what was reported by the Russian Independent News Agency mediazonaRoshina died during her transfer from a prison in Taganrog, near the Ukrainian border, to Moscow.

Rushina won the 2022 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation, or IWMF. In a statement, IWMF He said She was “saddened” to learn of Rushena’s death.

“Victoria’s death is not just the loss of a remarkable woman, she is a courageous witness to history. Regardless of the cause of her death, we can say with certainty that her life was taken because she dared to speak the truth. We hope that her death will be the same. It will not be in vain: The international community must pressure Russia to stop targeting journalists and silencing press freedom.”