Body of Ukrainian journalist who died in Russian captivity repatriated with organs removed and other signs of torture
Before Russian authorities returned the body of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna to Ukraine last week, several organs, including her eyes and brain, had been removed, according to a new joint investigation led by the French nonprofit Forbidden Stories. Roshchyna died in Russian captivity last September, over a year after she was first detained in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Here’s what Ukrainian law enforcement sources and a forensic expert told journalists about the ongoing official investigation into her death.
Victoria Roshchyna first went missing in August 2023 while reporting from Russian-occupied Ukraine. However, it wasn't until May 2024 that the Russian authorities first acknowledged they had taken her into custody. In October, her father received a letter from the Russian Defense Ministry stating that she had died on September 19. Six months later, on April 24, 2025, the Ukrainian authorities announced that her body had finally been repatriated.
According to a source close to the investigation into Roshchyna’s death who spoke to journalists, her eyes, brain, and part of her larynx were removed before her body’s return. Her hyoid bone, located at the front of the neck, was also broken. A forensic expert interviewed by the outlet said these removals may have been intended to conceal evidence of torture by Russian security forces.
“Removing the larynx during an autopsy is not standard practice,” the expert explained. “The larynx can be strong evidence of strangulation. When a person is strangled, the hyoid bone is often fractured. You can also find bleeding in the eye tissue and signs of oxygen deprivation in the brain.”
Ukrainian war crimes investigator Yuriy Belousov said other signs of torture were found on Roshchyna’s body, including abrasions and bruises, a broken rib, neck injuries, and possible burn marks from electric shocks to her feet. The exact cause of death has not been determined.
A Ukrainian law enforcement source told journalists that it’s not uncommon for Russia to return the bodies of prisoners with internal organs removed. The Russian authorities typically explain this as part of the “protocol for handling the deceased during autopsy,” but it may also serve to hide signs of abuse, the source said.
In March 2025, Ukrainian journalists released a documentary titled Vika’s Last Assignment, in which Roshchyna’s former cellmate in a Russian prison described the brutal torture and inhumane conditions she endured during her final months.
