A new autopsy of the body of Viktoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian custody, has revealed several injuries that were not previously reported, writes LIGA.net, citing a query response from the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Viktoria Roshchyna, photo via Facebook / Viktoria Roshchyna / Suspilne

The autopsy was conducted by the Forensic Medical Examination Bureau of the Ministry of Health on 9 July.

It found that Roshchyna had:

  • a neck injury,
  • bone fractures,
  • internal bleedings in the soft tissues of the temple area, right shoulder, and lower legs,
  • a bruise on the left foot.

A preliminary examination revealed internal bleedings in various parts of the body and a broken rib.

Despite the additional data, identifying the cause of the journalist’s death is still impossible.

“By the time of the autopsy, Roshchyna’s body was in a state of pronounced decomposition and the tissue structure had broken down, which prevented us from identifying the cause of death or linking it to a bodily injury,” said Mayana Hayovska-Kovbasiuk, chief of information policy and communications at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

She added that the body had been delivered to Ukraine in a state of “deep freezing with signs of mummification and putrefaction.”

The official added that they were still waiting for the results of the study of biological samples taken from Roshchyna’s body by French experts earlier.

Another forensic examination is underway in Ukraine.

As part of the case of the unlawful detention and murder of a Ukrainian journalist in Russia, the National Police questioned multiple witnesses regarding the circumstances of Roshchyna’s stay Russian detention facilities, namely pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Taganrog (Rostov region) and pre-trial detention center No. 3 in Kizel (Perm Kray).

Action is being taken to identify the persons involved in her torture and murder. The Criminal Code article under which the case was opened (mistreatment of civilians leading to the death of a person) provides for life imprisonment.

The death of Viktoria Roshchyna

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 29 April.

On 24 April, 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 24 April that the body of Victoria Roshchyna had been brought back to Ukraine in late February this year. She was identified through DNA testing.

The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in Russian detention was reported on 10 October 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 having detained Viktoria Roshchyna, who went missing in the temporarily occupied territory on 3 August 2023. Viktoria was imprisoned 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.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, reported submitting a parliamentary address to the Prosecutor General’s Office to bring the Russian citizens identified by the international investigation “Project Viktoria” to justice on 8 May.