Tortured Ukrainian journalist honored by Kyiv after her death in Russian captivity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded Victoria Roshchyna the Order of Freedom on Saturday, for her 'unwavering belief that freedom will overcome everything.'
'Viktoriia was one of those who spoke the truth about the war. She worked on the frontlines and in temporarily occupied territories, risking her life,' Zelensky wrote on X.
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Zelensky said Roshchyna was one of the people who spoke the truth about the war.
AFP via Getty Images
Roshchyna had been included in a scheduled prisoner exchange list when news of her death came in October 2024, the Ukrainian leader said.
'Russia had pledged to release her but broke its word,' said Zelensky.
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The 27-year-old's mutilated body was returned in February, with her eyes, brain and part of her throat missing.
She was stabbed and electrocuted before her death in a Russian prison, in what her cellmate described as 'brutal, unhinged' attacks, an investigation found.
Zelensky leaves flowers at a grave site.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images
Roshchyna was arrested near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, soon after reaching the Moscow-occupied Ukrainian territories in the summer of 2023.
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