In the summer of 2023, Victoria Roshchyna, a 27-year-old Ukrainian journalist, embarked on a perilous mission to expose the horrors of Russian-run torture prisons in occupied Ukrainian territories. Driven by a relentless pursuit of truth, she ventured into the heart of darkness, determined to shed light on the atrocities committed against Ukrainian civilians and soldiers. Tragically, she never returned. In February 2025, Russia handed over her mutilated body to Ukraine, revealing a gruesome tale of torture, cruelty, and a desperate attempt to silence a brave voice. This investigative report, drawing on findings from an international coalition of journalists, including ZDF Frontal, Der Spiegel, and The Washington Post, uncovers the chilling details of Roshchyna’s ordeal and the broader network of torture facilities operated by Russian authorities.
Victoria Roshchyna was no stranger to danger. As a freelance journalist, she had spent years documenting the human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, often working in volatile regions to give a voice to the voiceless. In July 2023, she traveled to Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, specifically targeting the city of Enerhodar, to investigate reports of secret detention centers where Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war were subjected to unimaginable cruelty. Her goal was to gather evidence of these so-called “torture prisons” and expose the systematic abuses orchestrated by Russian forces.
Roshchyna’s courage was matched only by her meticulousness. She had cultivated a network of sources on the ground, including former detainees and local informants, who provided her with critical leads about the locations and operations of these facilities. Her work promised to be a damning indictment of Russia’s war crimes, but it came at a devastating cost.
In August 2023, Roshchyna was apprehended by Russian forces in Enerhodar. The details of her arrest remain murky, but sources indicate she was betrayed by a local collaborator who alerted Russian authorities to her presence. For the next four months, she was held in a detention facility in occupied Ukraine before being transferred to a notorious prison in Taganrog, Russia. This facility, operated by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), is one of 29 documented torture prisons across Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories, according to the international investigative team.
Taganrog has become synonymous with horror. The prison is a sprawling complex where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are detained without charge, subjected to relentless physical and psychological torture. Former detainees describe a regime of brutality designed to break the human spirit: mock executions, waterboarding, electric shocks applied to sensitive areas like ears and genitals, and sexual violence. For Roshchyna, the nightmare was only beginning.
A woman who shared a cell with Roshchyna in Taganrog and was later released provided a harrowing account of the journalist’s suffering. According to her testimony, Roshchyna was subjected to relentless torture from the moment she arrived. Her captors used knives to inflict deep wounds on her arms and legs, leaving her in constant agony. Electric shocks were administered repeatedly, targeting her extremities and causing severe muscle spasms. To compound her suffering, she was deliberately starved, her weight plummeting to a mere 30 kilograms (66 pounds). By the time her cellmate last saw her, Roshchyna was so weak she could barely lift her head.
“They wanted to destroy her, body and soul,” the former detainee recounted. “She was a journalist, so they hated her even more. They wanted to make an example of her.”
Despite the unrelenting torment, Roshchyna clung to her dignity. She spoke sparingly but defiantly, encouraging her cellmate to survive and tell the world what was happening. Her resilience in the face of such cruelty stands as a testament to her unbreakable spirit.
In August 2024, Roshchyna managed to make a brief phone call to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn. Her voice was frail, but she delivered a glimmer of hope: “I’ll be free soon.” It was the last time her family would hear from her. Two months later, in October 2024, Russian authorities informed Volodymyr that his daughter had died in custody. No explanation was provided, and her body was not immediately returned.
The truth about Roshchyna’s fate emerged in February 2025, when Russia transferred her remains to Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange. What Ukrainian authorities received was a body so horrifically mutilated it defied comprehension. The autopsy revealed a catalog of atrocities: her hyoid bone was fractured, indicating possible strangulation; her eyeballs had been gouged out; her brain and part of her larynx were missing; her body was emaciated; and her feet bore burn marks, likely from prolonged exposure to heat or chemicals. The removal of her brain and larynx suggests a deliberate attempt to conceal evidence of torture, possibly to obscure the use of specific techniques or substances.
Forensic experts consulted by the investigative team believe Roshchyna endured months of systematic abuse before her death. The extent of her injuries points to a level of sadism that shocks even seasoned war crimes investigators. “This wasn’t just torture,” one expert remarked. “This was annihilation.”
Roshchyna’s case is not an isolated tragedy but part of a broader pattern of atrocities. The international investigative coalition has documented 29 torture facilities across Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories, each operating as a cog in a vast machine of repression. These prisons hold estimated thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, many of whom are detained without legal process or access to the outside world.
The conditions in these facilities are uniformly barbaric. Detainees report being subjected to mock executions, where they are blindfolded and threatened with death to extract confessions or simply to terrorize. Electric shocks are a common tool, often applied to sensitive areas to maximize pain. Waterboarding and other forms of simulated drowning are used to break prisoners’ resolve. Sexual violence, including rape, is rampant, with both male and female detainees targeted. Hunger is weaponized, with prisoners like Roshchyna deprived of food until they are on the brink of death.
The FSB, Russia’s primary security agency, oversees many of these facilities, including the one in Taganrog. The agency’s involvement points to a state-sanctioned campaign to crush Ukrainian resistance and silence those who dare to expose its crimes. Journalists, activists, and community leaders are particularly vulnerable, as they are seen as threats to Russia’s narrative of control.
Victoria Roshchyna’s death is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by journalists working in war zones. Her determination to uncover the truth cost her everything, but her legacy endures in the evidence she gathered and the stories she inspired others to tell. The international community now faces a moral imperative to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
The investigative coalition is calling for an independent United Nations inquiry into Russia’s torture prisons, with a focus on securing access to detention facilities and identifying those responsible for war crimes. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, have condemned Roshchyna’s killing and demanded justice for her and countless others.
For Volodymyr Roshchyn, the grief is unbearable, but he remains committed to his daughter’s mission. “Victoria wanted the world to know,” he said in a statement. “I will not rest until her killers are brought to justice.”
Victoria Roshchyna’s story is one of courage, sacrifice, and the unyielding pursuit of truth. In her final months, she endured horrors that most cannot fathom, yet she never wavered in her commitment to exposing Russia’s crimes. Her death is a loss not only for Ukraine but for the global community, which relies on journalists like her to bear witness to the darkest corners of human conflict.
As the world grapples with the implications of her murder, one thing is clear: Victoria Roshchyna’s voice cannot be silenced. Her work, her bravery, and her sacrifice will continue to inspire those who fight for justice and accountability. The international community must honor her memory by ensuring that the perpetrators of these atrocities face the full weight of the law. Until then, the echoes of her courage will reverberate, a haunting reminder of the cost of truth in a world at war.