The award recognizes journalists who have shown an unwavering commitment to press freedom. Roshchyna was recognized for "her immense personal sacrifice in the pursuit of information and stories that must be told."

In 2025, seven other journalists from around the world were also named recipients of the World Press Freedom Hero award:

• Mzia Amaglobeli, Georgian journalist, co-founder and director of opposition media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, sentenced this year to two years in prison for slapping a police officer during protests against the country's pro-Russian government;
• Martin Baron, former editor of The Washington Post and The Boston Globe;
• Mariam Abu Dagga, freelance Palestinian photojournalist who was killed on August 25, 2025, in a double Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza;
• Gustavo Gorriti, Peruvian journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of the investigative outlet IDL-Reporteros;
• Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong publisher and founder of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which was forced to close in 2021 amid a media crackdown. Lai is serving a five-year prison sentence;
• Tesfalem Waldyes, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Ethiopia Insider, who faced repeated arrests and was forced into exile before returning to Ethiopia.

The award is organized by the International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS).

IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen said that "this year's awardees are exemplary of the current threats facing journalists worldwide as authoritarianism gains ground, impunity prevails, and new challenges to freedom of expression emerge."

"With this award, we honor their courage, commitment, and legacy – while renewing our urgent call to protect and defend media freedom as a pillar of free society," Griffen said.

This year's awards will be presented during a special ceremony on October 24 at the University of Vienna during the IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival.

Roshchyna produced video reports and articles from front-line areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, covering war, crime, and court stories. She worked for Ukrainian Radio, UA:Pershyi, and contributed to Crimea, Censor, and Hromadske.

Roshchyna went missing on August 3, 2023, in Russian-occupied territory while on assignment. In May 2024, Russia confirmed her detention. On October 10, 2024, it became known that she had died during transfer from Taganrog to Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry later stated she died on September 19.

A criminal case was opened in Ukraine for violations of the laws and customs of war and premeditated murder.

An investigation by 12 media outlets from six countries, coordinated by the French consortium Forbidden Stories, revealed that Roshchyna's body was returned to Ukraine missing several internal organs and showing multiple signs of torture.

A forensic examination in July 2024 confirmed additional injuries not previously reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded Roshchyna the Order of Freedom.

A farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv on August 8, and she was buried at Baikove Cemetery.

Photo: Roshchyna's Facebook page

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