Journalist Roshchina was held in one of the harshest detention centers in Russia.

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina was held in the Taganrog detention center, where torture was used. This was reported by human rights activists from the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

According to human rights activists, Roshchina was held in two different facilities: correctional colony No. 77 in Berdyansk and detention center No. 2 in Taganrog.

«Both places are used for holding Ukrainian military and civilian personnel, including women. Roshchina was held in Taganrog from May to September 2024 in a solitary cell. Before the exchange on September 13, 2024, she, along with another woman from Melitopol, was transferred from Taganrog», said Tatiana Katrychko, executive director of the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

It was also established that Greek Catholic priests Ivan Levytskyi and Bohdan Heleta were held in correctional colony No. 77 in Berdyansk, and they were returned to Ukraine during an exchange in June 2024.

Detention center No. 2 in Taganrog, located in the Rostov region, is considered one of the most brutal detention centers in Russia. It has been used to hold defenders of Mariupol since April 2022.

Witnesses released from captivity claim that the guards in Taganrog use rubber batons, wooden hammers, and electric shock devices for torture. Prisoners are beaten during searches, interrogations, and are also forced to confess to crimes they did not commit.

In September 2022, the management of the detention center changed after two prisoners of war died. Although conditions improved slightly, the torture did not stop. Now, during executions, a medical doctor is present, who gives the prisoner a pill if they feel unwell.

Viktoria Roshchina disappeared on August 3, 2023, in the temporarily occupied territories. In May 2024, Russia acknowledged that it was holding her captive.

In March 2022, Roshchina was also detained by the FSB of Russia while preparing reports on military operations in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. She planned to go to Mariupol to expose the reality of the city, which was shelled daily by Russian troops. The death of the journalist became known on October 10, 2024.

Viktoria Roshchina worked for hromadske and later wrote for "Ukrainska Pravda" and "Radio Svoboda". She received the International Women's Media Foundation Award for Courage in Journalism.