The body of Victoria Roschina, a Ukrainian journalist who went missing in occupied territories in 2023 and is now confirmed to have died in captivity of the aggressor country, Russia, has been officially returned to Ukraine. Her identity was established through DNA analysis.

This was stated by Leonid Tymchenko, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, in an interview with Censor.NET.

Journalist Roschina's body returned: died in Russian captivity 

“Her body was repatriated as part of a recent operation at the end of February this year. The identification of her person was made possible through a DNA analysis,” Tymchenko noted.

The body of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roschina, who died in Russian captivity, was returned to Ukraine at the end of February, but the identification process took a significant amount of time due to the need for several DNA tests.

This was reported by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, to Ukrinform, referring to official information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

“We now have official information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We can assert that Victoria's body has indeed been returned,” Yurchyshyn stated.

The MP emphasized that although the body was returned at the end of February, “time was needed for the tests to be conducted.” “As far as I know, Victoria's father insisted on several tests, both in Ukraine and abroad, to ensure that this was indeed Victoria's body,” the committee head added. According to him, the journalist's family is still waiting for the final results of the additional tests.

Yurchyshyn stressed that such a thorough identification procedure was necessary, as Russia has repeatedly used the tactic of substituting the bodies of Ukrainians it has killed.

As previously reported, journalist Victoria Roschina went missing in August 2023 during a trip to territories occupied by Russia. According to Ukrainian human rights defenders, she was held in two prisons in the Russian Federation known for their brutal conditions.

Details of Victoria Roschina's death in Russian captivity: what is known

Victoria Roschina had been working as a journalist in combat zones since the 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 the occupied city of Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region. She was released on March 22 of the same year, but prior to that, she was forced to record a video stating that she had no claims 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 persons report with the relevant Ukrainian and international authorities. It was only in May 2024 that Russia officially confirmed to the Ukrainian side and international organizations the fact of the journalist's detention and her presence on the territory of the Russian Federation. The circumstances of her death in captivity remain undisclosed.