More Than 400 Ukrainian Women Are in Russian Captivity, Including Ukrainian Journalist Victoria Roshchyna

There are currently 403 Ukrainian women in Russian captivity, with many of them being illegally detained civilians. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Some women’s fate has been unknown since 2014 when they went missing. The Russian government doesn’t provide any information regarding the return of the detained women and ignores all appeals calling for the return of the detained. 

The treatment of Ukrainian women held in Russian captivity violates the standards outlined in the Third Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Released women recount experiences of humiliation, inhumane detention conditions, starvation, lack of access to proper medical care, and difficulty contacting their families. Additionally, Russian authorities persist in denying access to detention facilities for both prisoners and civilians by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), despite there being over 100 such facilities in the Russian Federation and under the jurisdiction of the ICRC.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna was amongst the detained. This was stated in a letter from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which was received by Volodymyr Roschyn, Victoria's father. Volodymyr informed the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine about the letter.

The letter, dated April 17, was received by Victoria’s father on about April 22. He also contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross, which confirmed that Victoria was in captivity but that there was currently no access to her.

Verbatim from the letter: "According to the available information, Roschyna Viktoriya Volodymyrivna, born on October 6, 1996, has been detained and is currently in the territory of the Russian Federation."

Victoria Roschyna disappeared on August 3, 2023, in the occupied territory, from where she was reporting.

Victoria's relatives have already submitted a request to the Mariupol occupation prosecutor's office. From there it was reported that no case was opened against her. Letters to the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, the investigative committee, and the ombudsman remained unanswered.