Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, has been posthumously awarded the ‘Hero of Press Freedom’ prize by the International Press Institute.
The award was accepted on behalf of the deceased journalist by Anna Babinets, director of Slidstvo.Info, and Andriy Boborykin, executive director of Ukrayinska Pravda.
The award ceremony took place on 24 October at the University of Vienna as part of the 75th anniversary of the World Congress of the International Press Institute.
This was reported by Slidstvo.Info.
On 24 October, a ceremony was held at the University of Vienna as part of the 75th anniversary of the World Congress of the International Press Institute, during which Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna received the posthumous ‘Hero of Press Freedom’ award.
On behalf of Vika, the award was accepted by Anna Babinets (Slidstvo.Info) and Andriy Boborykin (Ukrainska Pravda).
Anna Babinets (Slidstvo.Info) and Andriy Boborykin (Ukrainska Pravda)
“It’s a strange feeling to be on stage in Europe and receive an award for a well-known colleague who is no longer with us. Viktoriia was killed in a Russian prison — obviously by Russians. We at Slidstvo.Info investigated her murder for several months and learned many details about how it happened. These are horrific details… Vika died for the sake of Russian journalism, which in reality does not exist,” said Anna Babinets during the award ceremony.
Anna Babinets also noted that “in memory of Viktoriia, I am asking you not to equate Ukrainian and Russian journalists, not to force us to share the stage or talk about our experiences of covering the war as if they were the same. No, they are not the same. And we should not call us and them “victims of war”.
The International Press Institute notes that Viktoriia was honoured posthumously ‘in recognition of her ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.’
Journalists from the Slidstvo.Info agency, together with Reporters Without Borders and colleagues from the Suspilne and Hraty media outlets, investigated the journey of 27-year-old Viktoriia, learned about the conditions of her detention in a Russian prison, and collected testimonies from those who saw the Ukrainian journalist and communicated with her.
While in Russian captivity, Viktoriia Roshchyna was brutally tortured — her body had knife wounds, the journalist weighed 30 kilograms, and Russian prison staff hid her from inspections. Slidstvo.Info reported on this in the investigative film ‘Vika’s Last Assignment.’
Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna was taken prisoner by Russia in August 2023. At that time, she went to report from the territories occupied by Russia.
For over a year, her family and friends waited for Viktoriia to be exchanged and return home. However, in October 2024, her father received news from the Russians that Viktoriia had died in captivity. All this time, she was held in various prisons, and in recent months, Russia had been holding the Ukrainian journalist in the Taganrog No. 2 pre-trial detention centre in the Rostov region of the Russian Federation.
According to the Coordination Headquarters, Viktoriia Roshchyna was supposed to be exchanged on 13 or 14 September, but the journalist did not return.
On the eve of the funeral, a new forensic examination revealed a number of injuries on Viktoriia Roshchyna’s body that had not been previously reported. In particular, she had a neck injury, bone fractures, haemorrhages in the soft tissues of the temporal region, right shoulder and lower legs, and an abrasion on her left foot. On 8 August, Kyiv bid farewell to Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina.
Ukrainian law enforcement officials reported thay had served a suspicion notice in absentia to the head of Detention Centre No. 2 in Taganrog, Rostov Region, Russian Federation, who organised the torture of journalist Viktoria Roshchina. The suspect is 44-year-old Lieutenant Colonel of the Internal Service of the Russian Federation Oleksandr Shtoda.
Later, the Office of the Prosecutor General informed journalists from Slidstvo.Info that civilian hostage and journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna died on 19 September 2024 in pre-trial detention centre No. 3 in the city of Kizel, Perm Krai, Russian Federation.
Journalists from Slidstvo.Info spoke with a witness who was travelling on the same train as Roshchyna during her transfer to Kizel, and also obtained information from the woman’s death certificate, which was issued in Perm.
