Ukraine to pay family of murdered journalist Viktoria Roshchyna after budget passes

Earlier, he wrote that funds for payments to Roshchyna's relatives — ₴302,800 ($7,196) — were not included in this year's budget or the 2026 budget draft.

The Finance Ministry, he said, confirmed the money was not provided in the State Committee for Television and Radio-broadcasting program, which approved the payments for the journalist's family. The ministry planned to find the funds in the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity program for critical infrastructure workers.

But, Yurchyshyn said, not all media have critical status, and Roshchyna worked as a freelancer, so her family would still not qualify for payments.

However, the lawmaker later reported that the Finance Ministry found a mechanism to enable the payments. Officials said the money was included in the 2026 budget "in a format that does not allow automatic payout."

The ministry assured that the issue has been processed, and payments to Roshchyna's relatives will be made. For this, the 2026 state budget law must take effect, after which the State Committee for Television and Radio-broadcasting can start the payout.

The murder of Viktoria Roshchyna

On August 3, 2023, Viktoria Roshchyna went missing in temporarily occupied territories. Only in May 2024 did Russia first confirm holding her in captivity. In March 2022, Russians also abducted the media worker, but she was freed after 10 days.

News of Viktoria's death emerged on October 10, 2024. Information about the journalist's death reached her father, Volodymyr, from Russian officials. The Ukrainian side later confirmed the information.

Media Initiative for Human Rights stated that Viktoria Roshchyna was held in at least two prisons: Colony No. 77 in Berdiansk and Detention Center No. 2 in Taganrog in Russia. The Taganrog facility is known as "one of the most brutal places of detention for Ukrainians on Russian territory."

According to investigative journalists at Forbidden Stories, Viktoria's body was handed over in February during an exchange of 757 fallen defenders' remains. Examination revealed some internal organs were missing, including the brain, eyeballs and part of the trachea.

Viktoria was buried on August 8 at Baikove Cemetery in Kyiv. Several hundred people came to say goodbye: her family, including father and younger sister, former colleagues and others.

Roshchyna worked for hromadske and published with Ukrainska Pravda, Radio Liberty, Ukrainian Radio, UA:PBC, and Censor.net. 

In 2022, she received the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Award.