The International Press Institute (IPI) has reiterated its call on the international community to step up pressure on Russia to secure the release of the 27 Ukrainian journalists imprisoned by Russian forces as of August 2026, as per an IPI statement marking the second anniversary of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna’s death in Russian custody.
“Victoria Roshchyna paid the ultimate price for her dedication to ensuring the stories of her fellow citizens living under occupation were heard by the world. Her death shed light on the brutal treatment Ukrainian journalists can face at the hands of Russian authorities. IPI will keep demanding justice for Victoria, and we call on the international community to press for the release of every journalist Russia is holding,” IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said.
READ MORE:
- Kharkiv blogger aged 69 spent over 100 days in Russian prison
- Luhansk journalist Volodymyr Martynov was taken prisoner by Russia in 2022
The statement adds that the Russian occupation authorities have pressed politically motivated charges of “terrorism” or “espionage” against many Ukrainian media workers and in some cases have refused to acknowledge their imprisonment at all, effectively holding them incommunicado.
The organisation stressed the systemic use of torture and withholding of medical care from imprisoned journalists. Namely, they mentioned Iryna Levchenko, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison on “espionage” charges this month and who has been subjected to electric shock torture at a Melitopol jail; Anastasia Hlukhovska, who has been detained since 2023 and holds incommunicado status; and Iryna Danylovych, who has lost all hearing in one ear as a result of being denied medical care while imprisoned.
The organisation added that during the most recent swap of 120 civilians (in May 2026), the Russian side did not include a single media worker on the lists.
The death of Viktoria Roshchyna
The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian prison was reported on 10 October 2024. According to the letter sent to her family by Russia’s Ministry of Defense on 10 October, Victoria died on 19 September. Viktoria Roshchyna’s name was on the prisoner swap lists.
It was reported on 24 April 2025 that the body of Viktoria Roshchyna had been brought back to Ukraine in late February this year. She was identified through DNA testing.
The autopsy failed to identify the causes of Viktoria Roshchyna’s death due to the body’s state. However, numerous signs of torture were found on Viktoria’s body.
An investigation by Project Viktoria revealed that Viktoria Roshchyna’s body was listed in the documents as an “unidentified male” when Russia handed it over to Ukraine and had a single label of unclear meaning: SPAS. The examination found that some internal organs were missing from the body. In particular, the brain, eyeballs, and part of the trachea.
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 inspections. Viktoria was buried in Kyiv on 8 August 2025.