The body of journalist Victoria Roshchina, who went missing in territories occupied by Russia in 2023, has been returned to Ukraine. It has now been confirmed that she died while in captivity.

This was stated by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Tymchenko in an interview.

Roshchina's body was repatriated in February as part of a recent exchange. Her identity was confirmed through DNA testing.

The body of the journalist, who died in Russian captivity, was returned to Ukraine at the end of February, but the identification process took time due to the need for multiple DNA tests.

This information was reported by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the Parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech, citing official information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Yurchyshyn noted that while the body was returned earlier, time was needed for the tests, as Victoria's father insisted on their thoroughness.

He emphasized that such a meticulous identification process was necessary, as Russia has previously swapped the bodies of deceased Ukrainians.

Victoria Roshchina went missing in August 2023 while working in the temporarily occupied territories. According to human rights activists, she was held in two prisons known for their brutal conditions.

Roshchina had been a journalist covering the front lines since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

She was first detained by Russian special services in March 2022 but was released after recording a video denying any claims against the FSB.

In August 2023, she disappeared again, and her family filed a missing person's report. It wasn't until May 2024 that Russia officially confirmed her detention. The circumstances of her death remain undisclosed.