An international investigation has revealed that the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who died in Russian captivity, was returned to Ukraine missing several internal organs, potentially to conceal the cause of death.

According to a joint investigation by Forbidden Stories and 13 international media outlets, Roshchyna’s body was transferred to Ukraine on February 14, 2025, as part of a repatriation operation involving the return of 757 fallen Ukrainians. Russian documents marked the body, listed as number 757, as an “unidentified male” with a reference note: “СПАС.”

  • Absaroka@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    From another source:

    The investigation revealed that upon examination in Ukraine, it was discovered that several internal organs were missing, including the brain, eyeballs, and part of the larynx.

    According to the investigative team, the body showed signs of an autopsy conducted in Russia. An international expert suggested that the missing organs could have been removed to obscure evidence of death by strangulation or suffocation.

    Sounds like they mutilated the body to cover up how she died.

    • shekau@lemmy.today
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      13 hours ago

      I thought they removed her organs, so that they can use them for transplant surgeries, since organs are expensive afaik. But seems thats not the case here since brain, eyes, larynx cannot be transplanted

      • sus@programming.dev
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        12 hours ago

        Someone brough up a theory that it’s a “symbolic punishment” for a journalist:

        remove the eyes so you cannot see
        remove the brain so you cannot think
        remove the larynx so you cannot speak (the larynx contains the vocal cords)

        • Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org
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          7 hours ago

          That makes much more sense because unless some classified shit was tested on her (in which case they probably wouldn’t have returned her body at all) there wouldn’t be any reason to hide the cause of her death. If she was hanged on a short rope or strangled which the (lack of) evidence points towards then that’s kinda not worse than a journalist being murdered any other way. Wouldn’t justify all the fuss at least.