Prior to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Roshchyna reported for Ukrainian outlets on issues including fair trial rights and freedom of assembly.

Following the invasion, her focus moved onto Russian war crimes and human rights violations in the occupied territories – work for which she was awarded the 2022 Courage in Journalism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF).

Roshchyna disappeared in the occupied territories in August 2023. In April 2024, Russian authorities finally acknowledged that she had been detained.

She was widely expected to be released in 2024 as part of a prisoner swap, but her family was instead notified in October 2024 that she had died in prison at the age of 27.

Her body was returned to Ukraine in February 2025 with signs of torture and several organs missing. The cause of death could not be established.

Roshchyna’s detention and death are explored in Vika’s Last Assignment, produced by Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Slidstvo.info in collaboration with Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Suspilne and Graty.

The Edinburgh & District branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is screening the film on Tuesday 30 September at 6pm in partnership with the University of Edinburgh Ukrainian Society and the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland (USCS).

The screening will be introduced by Viktoriia Grivina, a writer and cultural anthropologist from Kharkiv who authored the recently published essay collection Kharkiv – A War City.

Legal affairs journalist Connor Beaton will chair a discussion following the screening, which will also hear about grassroots efforts to build solidarity between Scotland and Ukraine.

The event is free but attendees are invited to make a donation towards the IFJ/EFJ Safety Fund for Journalists in Ukraine when registering.

For more information and to reserve your place, visit Eventbrite.