The body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roschina, who was killed and tortured in a Russian prison, was returned without some internal organs, according to an investigation by Forbidden Stories, cited on Tuesday by the Kyiv Independent.
An international forensic expert has stated that it is possible the missing organs were deliberately removed to hide signs of suffocation or strangulation, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, which participated in the investigation. Over 40 journalists from 13 international media institutions participated in the investigation, conducting over 50 interviews with former inmates, former prison guards, and human rights activists. The journalist’s body, which was delivered at the end of February, was reportedly labeled with the number 757 and falsely identified in Russian documents as an “unidentified man.”
Subsequently, a forensic examination conducted in Ukraine confirmed that the body was that of a female. Shortly after, DNA tests identified it as belonging to Viktoria Roschina with a 99% certainty. The head of the War Crimes Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Yuri Belousov, stated that the body showed numerous signs of torture and abuse, including abrasions and bleeding on different parts of the body, as well as a broken rib. Experts also observed possible signs of electrocution. According to investigators, her body showed signs of having undergone an autopsy in Russia before being returned to Ukraine. During the examination in Ukraine, it was determined that the journalist’s eyes, brain, and a part of her trachea had been removed, according to the investigation. Furthermore, bruises on Viktoria’s neck indicate a possible fracture of the hyoid bone, a rare fracture usually associated with strangulation.