The death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna in Russian captivity mobilized action to free captured Ukrainian media representatives.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Holy See Andrii Yurash said this during the telethon, Gazeta.ua reports.
Yurash recalled that Zelensky personally told the Pope about the death of the journalist during his visit to the Vatican.
According to the ambassador, this is the third time during the full-scale war that the Ukrainian president has met with the Pope and the fourth time since the beginning of his term. This serves as evidence of stable and long-lasting working and friendly relations with the Apostolic See, as not every world leader has the opportunity to meet with the pontiff so often.
“Ukraine hopes for a very active participation of the Apostolic See in the release of prisoners of war and children. And, perhaps, for the first time, the topic of journalists resonates so powerfully. This tragic page related to the death of Victoria Roshchyna mobilized and intensified actions regarding journalists,” Yurash said.
The death of 27-year-old Victoria Roshchyna was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense in response to an appeal from the journalist's father, Volodymyr Roshchyn, on August 28, 2024. The letter from the Russian Defense Ministry is dated October 2, 2024.
The short message states the date of the journalist's death - September 19, 2024, and that her body will be returned “to the Ukrainian side as part of the exchange of bodies of detainees”. The circumstances and cause of death are not reported.