The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) honoured the memory of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who died in Russian custody, and discussed the safety of journalists working in combat zones on 1 October, PACE reported.
The hearing marked the second ever “Victory for Viktoria” Day, an annual commemoration of journalists who risk their lives to tell the truth.
Opening the hearing, PACE President Petra Bayr emphasised the importance of protecting journalists, recalling that Viktoria had paid with her life for telling the truth.
“You can kill a journalist, but you cannot kill the truth,” Bayr said.
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Yevhenia Kravchuk, member of Ukraine’s Delegation to PACE, spoke about Viktoria’s story and the experiences of other Ukrainian journalists held in Russia. Journalists continued to work in these dangerous areas, she pointed out, despite dire conditions.
She cited the Ukrainian journalist Olena Hnitetska, who said of her experience: “you run fast, you listen carefully for drones, and you film only on a phone, because carrying a camera or wearing a press insignia makes you a target.”
Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Humenyuk, who knew and worked with Viktoria, remembered her devotion to journalism, saying that Viktoria always wanted to work even whens she could have chosen rest.
She urged the international community to take action to free the Ukrainian journalists imprisoned by Russia.
Le Monde journalist and author Ariane Chemin also talked about the danger faced by reporters in Ukraine. She said that war had changed between 2022 and 2026, in particular because of killer drones.
With drone ranges expanding, there is no longer a front line or a rear, and the line between war correspondents and other journalists is also blurring, she said.
On 1 October 2025, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution calling for increased political, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Russia to ensure the release of illegally detained Ukrainian journalists.
The resolution draws on the Institute of Mass Information’s list of 26 journalists detained by Russia; IMI was also involved in drafting the resolution. Moreover, on 10 April 2025 IMI representatives took part in PACE Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media sessions, where they called for stepped up political and diplomatic pressure on Russia to achieve the release of Ukrainian journalists.