Journalist Viktoriya Roshchyna, who was detained by the Russians in Berdyansk, is in captivity
In Russia, they admitted that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna is being held captive. Earlier, Roschyna’s relatives submitted a request to the Russian prosecutor’s office in Mariupol, where they reported that no proceedings had been opened against the journalist. They also appealed to the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the investigative committee, and the ombudsman – the letters remained unanswered. This was reported in the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
“According to available information, Roschyna Viktoriya Volodymyrivna, born on October 6, 1996, has been detained and is currently in the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a letter.
Viktoria Roshchyna worked at the front since the beginning of the full-scale war in February 2022. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine wrote:
“The fate of Victoria Roschyna, a freelance journalist who worked with Ukrainian Pravda, Public Radio, and Radio Liberty, is also unknown.” The woman was in Russian captivity twice. She was first detained in Berdyansk on March 16, 2022, and released on March 22. Victoria disappeared for the second time on August 3, 2023 in the occupied territory, from where she planned to report. Russia does not admit that it detained the journalist.”
As of February 2024, 2,200 people are recognized as missing. Journalists are among the detainees.
The editor-in-chief of “RIA South (RIA Melitopol)” Svitlana Zalizetska reported about journalists from her editorial office who are in captivity. We are talking about veteran journalist Iryna Levchenko, who previously worked at RIA Melitopol. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she was retired, but on May 6, 2023, she and her husband Alexander were captured by the Russians and are still being held captive. It is not known for sure what they are accused of and where they are being held.
Melitopol media workers Heorhiy Levchenko, Anastasia Glukhovska and Yana Suvorova have not been released yet. They were kidnapped by the Russians on August 20, 2023, and Russian propaganda officially announced this only at the end of October of the same year
As reported in the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, using force, the Russians forced Berdyan journalist Serhii Starushk, Melitopol journalists Yevgenia Boryan, Yuliya Olkhovska, Lyubov Chaika, Mykhailo Kumka to cooperate