Investigators: Russia handed over Viktoria Roshchyna's body with several organs missing
Russia handed over to Ukraine the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, which was listed in the documents as an “unidentified male” and had a single label of unclear meaning: SPAS. During the examination, it turned out that some internal organs were missing from the body. In particular, the brain, eyeballs, and part of the trachea, according to the investigation “Project Viktoria”, which was released by Ukrainska Pravda in partnership with Forbidden Stories and multiple international media outlets on April 29.
According to the investigation, Viktoria’s body had the number 757 and was handed over on February 14, 2025 along with the bodies of 757 deceased soldiers.
During the first examination, pathologists established that the body was female. An examination conducted by investigators from the Prosecutor General’s Office revealed a 99% match with the DNA of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna.
The investigators team working on the case told the project that the body was brought to Ukraine with signs of having been autopsied in Russia. The examination showed that some internal organs were missing from the body. In particular, the brain, eyeballs, and part of the trachea.
An international expert pathologist consulted by the journalists believes that the absence of these organs could have obscured the fact that the death was a result of strangulation or suffocation.
The media outlet learned that the acronym SPAS may refer to the “official cause of death” as defined by the Russian side, and literally mean "суммарное поражение артерий сердца" ("Total lesion of the arteries of the heart").
The official investigation is ongoing.
On April 24, Yuriy Belousov, chair of the War Department at the Prosecutor General's Office, said that the forensic medical examination had failed to identify the causes of death of journalist Viktoria Roshchina, who died in Russian custody, due to the body's state. However, numerous signs of torture were found on Viktoria's body.
It was reported on April 24 that the body of Victoria Roshchyna had been brought back to Ukraine in late February this year. She was identified through DNA testing.
Victoria Roshchyna's death
The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian detention was reported on October 10, 2024. Petro Yatsenko of the Coordinating Headquarters for POW Treatment confirmed reports of Viktoria Roshchyna's death.
Viktoria Roshchyna's name was on the swap lists, according to Defense Intelligence representative Andriy Yusov.
Russia earlier admitted detaining Viktoria Roshchyna, who went missing on August 3, 2023 in the temporarily occupied territory. Viktoria was held captive in Russia.
Slidstvo.Info discovered that Victoria Roshchyna was brutally tortured in Russian custody: there were stab wounds on her body, the journalist weighed under 30 kilograms, and Russian prison officers hid her from checks.
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