Authorities announced the tragic news this week, ending months of uncertainty and anguish.

Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. As a freelance journalist, she had been dedicated to spotlighting life under Russian occupation since the onset of the invasion in 2022. Her father received a letter from Moscow's defense ministry in April, claiming she was in Russian detention, but the specifics of her arrest and location remained shrouded in mystery.

Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, confirmed the journalist's death on Thursday. Reports from Russian news outlet Mediazona revealed that she died during a transfer to Moscow from a prison near the Ukrainian border. A letter allegedly sent to her family by Russia's defense ministry stated her death occurred on September 19, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov indicated that Roshchyna was slated to be part of a prisoner exchange. "Everything necessary had been done" to facilitate this swap, Yusov said. In light of her death, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office has updated its war-crime investigation into her disappearance to now include murder.

The European Union has called for a "thorough and independent investigation that clarifies all the circumstances" of her death. The EU emphasized that Roshchyna’s death underscores the plight faced by thousands detained in occupied Ukrainian territories and Russia, victims of Russian repression.

Roshchyna's fearless reporting earned her the Courage in Journalism award from the International Women's Media Foundation in 2022. In a statement, the organization expressed hope that her death will not be forgotten, urging the international community to pressure Russia to stop targeting journalists and suppressing press freedom. BBC Russia reported in January that thousands of Ukrainian civilians and journalists are being held without charges in Russian custody, lacking access to legal counsel.