Problem of civilian hostages kidnapped, held by Russia requires increased intl attention, immediate response - Ukrainian MFA on Roschyna's death
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine appeals to the international community to respond to the conclusions of the investigation into the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roschyna in Russian captivity, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy.
“We are grateful to the Forbidden Stories consortium and 45 journalists from 13 Ukrainian and foreign media outlets for their outstanding and shocking investigation. Viktoria Roschyna's bravery, commitment to journalism, and genuine concern for human life were extraordinary. This collaborative journalistic work emphasizes her heroism and the barbarism of her murder by the Russians, while also expanding her efforts to expose the horrific fate of thousands of civilian hostages held by Russia,” he wrote on X.
“We urge the international community to respond to the findings of this investigation, which reveal systemic war crimes, human rights violations, abduction, torture, and murder in the Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied by Russia,” Tykhy noted.
“We specifically address @UNHumanRights, @UNHumanRightsUA, @UNESCO, @OSCE and @OSCE_RFoM, @coe, @CoE_CPT and @CoEHumanRights, as well as @hrw, @amnesty, and @RSF_inter,” he added.
“The issue of civilian hostages abducted and held by Russia requires increased international attention and immediate and strong response. Because what we are seeing right now is most likely the largest state-led civilian abduction operation in recent memory,” the MFA spokesperson noted.
“This has to be condemned and prosecuted. Russian criminals responsible for these horrific atrocities must be held accountable,” he stressed.
As reported with reference to the investigation of the international organization Forbidden Stories, Russia returned the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roschyna, who died in captivity, without some internal organs, presumably in order to hide the cause of her death.
The investigative team confirmed that the body was brought to the territory of Ukraine already with signs of an autopsy performed in the Russian Federation. According to journalistic sources in law enforcement agencies, Viktoria was missing parts of the brain, eyeballs and larynx.
An expert pathologist believes that the lack of these organs may hide the true cause of the journalist's death: strangulation or suffocation. These actions by Moscow may qualify as a war crime.