New autopsy of Viktoria Roshchyna's body shows new injuries

A new autopsy of the body of journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who died in a Russian prison, revealed multiple injuries not previously reported, LIGA.net writes, citing a query response by the Prosecutor General's Office.

Viktoria Roshchyna, photo by Viktoria Roshchyna/Suspilne on Facebook

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

It found that Roshchyna had:

• a neck injury,
• bone fractures,
• hemorrhages in the soft tissues of the temporal region, right shoulder, and lower legs,
• an abrasion on the left foot.

The preliminary examination revealed hemorrhages in various parts of the body and a broken rib.

Despite the additional information, the cause of the journalist's death is yet to be identified.

“At the time of the examination, Roshchyna's body was in a state of pronounced cadaveric changes with the tissue structure having deteriorated, which prevents us from identifying the cause of death and linking it to the bodily injuries,” said Maryana Hajovska-Kovbasiuk, chief of information policy and communications at the Prosecutor General's Office.

She added that the body was given back to Ukraine in a “deep-frozen state with signs of mummification and decomposition.”

No findings of the analysis of the biological samples taken from Roshchyna’s body by French experts earlier have been received yet, the official noted.

Another forensic examination is underway in Ukraine.

As part of the investigation into the Ukrainian journalist's unlawful detention and murder of in Russia, the National Police questioned several witnesses regarding the circumstances of Roshchyna’s stay in Russian prisons, in particular in pre-trial detention center 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 sanction of the article under which the case was opened (mistreatment of civilians leading to a person's death) provides for life imprisonment.

Victoria Roshchyna's death

The investigation “Viktoriia Project”, which was released by Ukrainska Pravda in partnership with Forbidden Stories and multiple international media outlets on April 29, found that Russia had 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.

On April 24, 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 April 24 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 October 10, 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 detaining Viktoria Roshchyna, who went missing on August 3, 2023 in the temporarily occupied territory. Viktoria was held captive 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.

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