Tortured, mutilated, electrocuted: Media probe reveals chilling details of how Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia was killed in Russian custody

Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna

Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who was captured by Russian forces in 2023, was reportedly subjected to brutal torture in captivity, including electric shocks and the removal of some internal organs, according to a joint media investigation.

The investigation revealed a horrifying pattern of torture and abuse evident on the body of journalist, returned by Russia, said Yurii Belousov, head of the war crimes department at the Prosecutor General's Office.

She went missing in 2023 while reporting from Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia region and her death was confirmed on September 19, 2024, by Russian authorities after she was imprisoned in a Russian detention facility dubbed “hell on Earth”.

Remains of Ukrainian journalist were handed over by Russia in late February this year, labeled with the number 757, the documents labelled her as an “unidentified male”.

The forensic examination carried out revealed the body was that of a woman and the DNA tests matched 99 per cent with Roshchyna’s.

• Her body showed clear signs of a post-mortem autopsy carried out in Russia before being returned to Ukraine.
• Investigators suspect vital organs were deliberately removed to erase evidence of possible suffocation or strangulation.
• An international forensic expert noted a bruise on her neck and a suspected fracture of the hyoid bone—both strong indicators of strangulation.
• Her body was marked with the Russian abbreviation “SPAS,” suggesting “total failure of the arteries of the heart,” though the true cause of death remains undetermined.
• The remains bore disturbing signs of abuse: abrasions, hemorrhages, a broken rib, injuries to the neck, and suspected electric burns on her feet.
• Colleagues from Ukrainska Pravda, citing investigators, confirmed the absence of her brain, eyeballs, and trachea—raising even more chilling questions about the treatment she endured in captivity.
• A witness who encountered Viktoriia Roshchyna in Taganrog told journalists that detainees were fed rotten potatoes; due to extreme malnutrition, Roshchyna began rapidly losing weight, and at one point, guards reportedly forced her to eat to survive.

Over 40 journalists from 13 international media organizations took part in the recent investigation, conducting more than 50 interviews with former inmates, ex-guards, and human rights advocates.

Viktoriia Roshchyna was detained while trying to leave Russian-occupied Luhansk and sent to a filtration camp, eventually ending up in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2 in Taganrog—one of the most feared facilities for Ukrainian prisoners.

She was reportedly held for not disclosing previous ties to the Ukrainian military.

Former detainees describe the situation of Taganrog they called it as a place of complete isolation, where legal access and international oversight are denied mentioned Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian media outlet.

Since 2022, a prison in Taganrog, located in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, has transformed from a detention center for women and minors, according to multiple media reports.

Inmates endure brutal conditions, including beatings upon arrival, starvation, and the psychological torment of hearing others being tortured in nearby cells. Roshchyna, tragically, was among those subjected to this harrowing ordeal.

Testimonies from former detainees reveal that no legal representatives or international bodies, including the Red Cross or UN observers, were granted access to the detention facility.