Ukrainian scribe Roshchyna brutally tortured in Russia: Signs of ‘electric shocks', body sent back without eyes, brain
During an exchange of 757 Ukrainian's remains, a Ukrainian journalist's body was sent to her home country in February without eyes and brain, with signs of electric shocks, likely to obscure the torture she endured, an investigation found, New York Post reported. She went missing two and a half years ago in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories in August 2023.
Roshchyna was reportedly kidnapped and slain by Russians. Her body was termed as an 'unidentified male' when it was given, the report said. New York Post report stated an unusual Russian marking, 'SPAS", found on the listing may indicate the officially recorded cause of death, possibly signifying "total arterial damage to the heart."
The 27-year-old was on a reporting assignment to the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region after travelling via Russian territory. She was missing until April 2024, when her father was informed via a letter from the Russian Ministry of Defence stating that she was being held in detention in Russia, AFP had reported.
Prosecutors told Ukrainian outlet Hromadske that her father has urged additional foreign exams.
The body clearly showed signs of torture comprising abrasions, hemorrhages, a broken rib and possible evidence of electric shocks, the head of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office's war crimes department Yaroslav Yurchyshyn informed Pravda.
The report added a bruise on her neck possibly indicated to strangulation. It mentioned the official cause of death is still unassessed due to the mummified state of the body, with Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General arranging more tests.
"Victoria Roshchyna's body is in Ukraine. The journalist's body was returned as part of an exchange at the end of February," Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Yurchyshyn had said, further stating, 'Given the torture and the condition of the body, Roshchyna's family requested not one, but several DNA examinations.'
First Published: 30 Apr 2025, 09:08 AM IST
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