Latest news with #WarCrimesUnit
The Age
01-05-2025
- The Age
‘She knew the risks. She did it anyway': The brutal detention and death of a young Ukrainian journalist
Warning: Graphic content London: A Ukrainian journalist was tortured and killed while in Russian custody, according to a damning investigation, marking the first confirmed death of a Ukrainian reporter in Russian hands since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. The body of 27-year-old Viktoriia Roshchyna was returned to Ukraine in February, nearly five months after Russian authorities said she had died during a prison transfer. A forensic examination found signs of brutal torture and mutilation, raising fresh accusations of war crimes by Russian forces occupying parts of south-eastern Ukraine. Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 after travelling to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region to investigate the detention and torture of civilians. A joint report by Paris-based Forbidden Stories and 12 international media partners, released on Tuesday, found that the young journalist had been held in at least two notorious detention facilities – Berdiansk Penal Colony No. 77 and Taganrog Detention Centre No. 2 – both linked to systemic abuse. Ukrainian prosecutors said her body bore signs of severe mistreatment, including abrasions, haemorrhages, a broken rib, injuries to her neck and suspected electric burns on her feet. 'The body also showed evidence of an autopsy conducted prior to its return, and multiple internal organs were missing,' Yuriy Belousov, head of the War Crimes Unit at Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, said. 'This suggests a possible attempt to obscure the real cause of death and cover up a war crime.' The official Russian explanation, communicated in a letter to Roshchyna's parents, claimed she died on September 19, 2024, while being transferred from Taganrog to Moscow. No independent verification of that account has been made. Russia's Defence Ministry, Federal Penitentiary Service and FSB did not respond to requests for comment.
Sydney Morning Herald
01-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
The brutal detention and death of a young Ukrainian journalist
Warning: Graphic content London: A Ukrainian journalist was tortured and killed while in Russian custody, according to a damning investigation, marking the first confirmed death of a Ukrainian reporter in Russian hands since its full-scale invasion began in 2022. The body of 27-year-old Viktoriia Roshchyna was returned to Ukraine in February, nearly five months after Russian authorities said she had died during a prison transfer. A forensic examination found signs of brutal torture and mutilation, raising fresh accusations of war crimes by Russian forces occupying parts of south-eastern Ukraine. Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 after travelling to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region to investigate the detention and torture of civilians. A joint report by Paris-based Forbidden Stories and 12 international media partners, released on Tuesday, found that the young journalist had been held in at least two notorious detention facilities – Berdiansk Penal Colony No. 77 and Taganrog Detention Centre No. 2 – both linked to systemic abuse. Ukrainian prosecutors said her body bore signs of severe mistreatment, including abrasions, haemorrhages, a broken rib, injuries to her neck and suspected electric burns on her feet. 'The body also showed evidence of an autopsy conducted prior to its return, and multiple internal organs were missing,' Yuriy Belousov, head of the War Crimes Unit at Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, said. 'This suggests a possible attempt to obscure the real cause of death and cover up a war crime.' The official Russian explanation, communicated in a letter to Roshchyna's parents, claimed she died on September 19, 2024, while being transferred from Taganrog to Moscow. No independent verification of that account has been made. Russia's Defence Ministry, Federal Penitentiary Service and FSB did not respond to requests for comment.
NDTV
30-04-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Ukrainian Journalist Tortured, Had Organs Removed In Russian Custody: Report
Quick Take Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was found dead after being captured by Russian forces, suffering extensive torture. Her body showed signs of an autopsy and missing organs, raising suspicions of war crimes. A recent investigation by media organisations has shed light on the tragic death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who was captured by Russian forces in 2023 while reporting on the illegal detention and torture of Ukrainians in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia. According to a forensic examination of her body, Roshchyna, 27, suffered extensive torture and ill-treatment, including "abrasions and hemorrhages on various parts of the body, a broken rib, neck injuries, and possible electric shock marks on her feet," as described by Yuriy Belousov, head of the War Crimes Unit at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office. Belousov also noted that Roshchyna's body showed signs of an autopsy having been performed before it was returned to Ukraine, and that some of her organs were missing. The missing organs could signal that Russia attempted to hide the cause of death, possibly to conceal that it had committed a war crime, Belousov said. Roshchyna's colleagues at Ukrainska Pravda said, citimg members of the investigating team, that her brain, eyeballs, trachea were missing. Roshchyna's death has sparked widespread condemnation, with Sevgil Musaieva, her editor at Ukrainska Pravda, describing her as a dedicated journalist who saw reporting from Russian-occupied territories as a mission. "Viktoriia was the only reporter who covered the occupied territories. For her, it was a mission," Musaieva said. The Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned Roshchyna's death, stating that Russia was responsible. Ukrainian officials have raised concerns about the thousands of citizens being held in Russian custody without charges or access to legal counsel. "The issue of civilian hostages abducted and held by Russia requires increased international attention and immediate and strong response," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said. One of her colleagues at Hromadske, a Ukrainian media outlet said that, 'For her, there was nothing more important than journalism. Vika was always where the most important events for the country took place. And she would have continued to do this for many years, but the Russians killed her,' said in a statement published on Hromadske's website. Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, with Russia launching a drone and missile attack on the cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro, killing at least one person and injuring 46. This comes as President Donald Trump claimed that Vladimir Putin wanted to stop the war, saying, "If it weren't for me, I think he'd want to take over the whole country", Trump told ABC News.
NBC News
30-04-2025
- NBC News
Journalist was tortured and had her organs removed in Russian captivity, report says
A Ukrainian journalist was tortured, killed and had her organs removed before her body was returned by her Russian captors, according to a newly released report by media organizations into her death. Viktoriia Roshchyna, 27, was captured after she traveled to the Russian-occupied region of Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine to report on the illegal detention and torture of Ukrainians by Russian forces, the joint media report published Tuesday by the nonprofit media organization Forbidden Stories and 12 news outlets found. A forensic examination of her body revealed numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment, Yuriy Belousov, the head of the War Crimes Unit at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office said last week. These included 'abrasions and hemorrhages on various parts of the body, a broken rib, neck injuries, and possible electric shock marks on her feet,' he said. He added that there were signs that an autopsy had been performed on the body before it was returned to Ukraine. The missing organs, he said, could signal that Russia attempted to hide the cause of death, possibly to conceal it had committed a war crime. NBC News could not independently the allegations in the report and has approached Russia's Ministry of Defense, the FSB security service and the country's Federal Penitentiary Service for comment. Roshchyna, the first Ukrainian journalist known to have died in Russian captivity, worked reported for several independent news outlets including Ukrainska Pravda and Radio Free Europe. 'Viktoriia was the only reporter who covered the occupied territories. For her, it was a mission,' Sevgil Musaieva her editor at Ukrainska Pravda told Forbidden Stories, referring to the fact that she reported from Russian occupied parts of Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion in February 2022. In April 2024, nearly eight months after her disappearance, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed it had captured and detained Roshchyna in eastern Ukraine. The Forbidden Stories report said Roshchyna's parents had been sent a letter by Russian authorities saying that she died on Sep. 19 while being transferred from southwestern city of Taganrog to Moscow. Her death was condemned the following month by the Committee to Protect Journalists, who said in a statement that Russia was responsible. Ukrainian officials have said that thousands of its citizens are being held in Russian custody without charges or access to legal counsel. 'The issue of civilian hostages abducted and held by Russia requires increased international attention and immediate and strong response,' Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said in a post on X Tuesday. Hours after the report was published, President Donald Trump said he believed Putin wanted to stop the war. 'If it weren't for me, I think he'd want to take over the whole country,' Trump told ABC News in an interview Tuesday. 'I will tell you, I was not happy when I saw Putin shooting missiles into a few towns and cities.' Later Russia launched a drone and missile attack
