A Ukrainian journalist's final days in Russian prison, as witnessed by a soldier who was transported to the Sizo-3 facility along with her. The witness describes Viktoriia Roshchyna, 27, as being "very, very thin" and struggling to stand or move due to poor health brought on by months of hunger strike while held at another facility.
She had been reporting from behind enemy lines in occupied Ukraine when seized by Russian forces in the summer of 2022, one of an estimated 16,000 civilians detained by Russia since the invasion. Roshchyna was held at Sizo-3, a prison notorious for its harsh conditions, and was visited by Semenov, who describes her as carrying herself on the verge of collapse.
Semenov's account corroborates recent reports that Roshchyna died after being transported to Kizel, where she was subjected to further abuse. The conditions at Sizo-3 are described as brutal, with prisoners forced to stand for long periods without permission and subjected to beatings from guards who wore balaclavas and nicknames.
Roshchyna had been told she was due to be released in a prisoner exchange but instead was sent hundreds of miles east. She died after just eight days at Kizel, with an autopsy showing signs of trauma consistent with strangulation. Her remains showed multiple signs of torture, according to the investigating prosecutor.
The Russian Ministry of Defence wrote to Roshchyna's family saying she had died on September 19, but have never confirmed the cause or place of her death. The family has been left with many unanswered questions and a sense of injustice at the Russian government's handling of her case.
She had been reporting from behind enemy lines in occupied Ukraine when seized by Russian forces in the summer of 2022, one of an estimated 16,000 civilians detained by Russia since the invasion. Roshchyna was held at Sizo-3, a prison notorious for its harsh conditions, and was visited by Semenov, who describes her as carrying herself on the verge of collapse.
Semenov's account corroborates recent reports that Roshchyna died after being transported to Kizel, where she was subjected to further abuse. The conditions at Sizo-3 are described as brutal, with prisoners forced to stand for long periods without permission and subjected to beatings from guards who wore balaclavas and nicknames.
Roshchyna had been told she was due to be released in a prisoner exchange but instead was sent hundreds of miles east. She died after just eight days at Kizel, with an autopsy showing signs of trauma consistent with strangulation. Her remains showed multiple signs of torture, according to the investigating prosecutor.
The Russian Ministry of Defence wrote to Roshchyna's family saying she had died on September 19, but have never confirmed the cause or place of her death. The family has been left with many unanswered questions and a sense of injustice at the Russian government's handling of her case.
. It's just heartbreaking to think about Viktoriia Roshchyna, such a young journalist, going through that. The hunger strike, the brutal conditions at Sizo-3, it's all just so disturbing. I don't know how she was able to hold on for as long as she did. The fact that the Russian Ministry of Defence isn't even confirming the cause or place of her death is just, like, totally unacceptable 
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It's heartbreaking to think that Viktoriia was just trying to report on what's happening in Ukraine, and she ends up facing such brutal conditions in prison 
And now her family is left with all these unanswered questions... it's just so frustrating 
I wish there were more people speaking out against the Russian government's treatment of these prisoners 
i mean seriously how can u be this cruel? first dey imprison her, den transport her 2 a facility with brutal conditions n even worse after dat. its like they wanted her 2 die 
her family deserves justice n i hope they get it someday
. and yeah, it's crazy harsh conditions at Sizo-3, but maybe if we're talkin' about punishment for war crimes or somethin', it's a bit more complicated 
. her family is definitely justified to be upset tho 
, but let's not forget she was detained by russians in the first place... still, i feel bad for semenov that he had to witness this stuff and now has the trauma of it too 
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. And the fact that the Ministry of Defence just kinda... stopped communicating about her death is super suspicious 
. I guess we'll just have to keep loopin' back to this, wonderin' what really went down and makin' sure justice gets served 
And to think she was tortured and died at the hands of the russian prison system is just heartbreaking 
I mean who lets people starve themselves for months before putting them in a harsher environment?!?! And now we know she was just supposed to be released in an exchange deal but got sent to Kizel instead 
Viktoriia Roshchyna died under such terrible conditions and the Russian government is still giving vague answers about it. I need to see more concrete evidence and transparency about this case before I believe they're being honest with us. Can someone please dig up some sources on this?