Since May 2025, detainees at Prison No. 3 in Kizel, Perm Krai, Russia, have reportedly experienced improvements in medical care and food quality following the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriya Roschyna. Her death, attributed to torture and neglect, has prompted scrutiny of prison conditions and treatment of prisoners.
According to a former detainee, a military serviceman named Serhiy, he arrived at the facility in late September 2024, shortly before Roschyna’s death on September 19. He described the conditions prior to her death as dire, noting that she was subjected to torture and denied both medical and psychological assistance.
Roschyna was not the only high-profile individual to die in custody at this facility. Yevhen Matviyiv, the mayor of Dniprorudne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, also died there on September 7, 2024, after being severely beaten and denied medical care.
Following these incidents, an inspection was conducted at the prison, leading to changes in the treatment of detainees. By May 2025, some prisoners began receiving packages and letters from home. Serhiy noted, “They (the Russians) distributed sweets and condensed milk in the cells several times, and this improved the atmosphere. When I left the colony in April, the prosecutor started visiting every week to monitor food intake and medical visits.”
“Prisoners have become less afraid to ask for help; they now report pain and receive dental care and medication, which they previously feared to mention,” Serhiy explained.
Despite these improvements, the overall regime remained harsh. Detainees were still required to stand motionless in their cells for extended periods, with sitting or lying down prohibited. Serhiy mentioned that shortly before a visit from military officials, the prisoners were informed of a temporary easing of restrictions, allowing them to sit, read, and use the restroom without permission. However, this relaxation lasted only two days before the previous rules were reinstated.
“They warned us not to get comfortable; everything reverted back to the way it was,” he recounted.
Prior to the inspection, conditions at the Kizel facility were reportedly even more brutal. Another former detainee, Danilo Murashkin, described systematic beatings with hands, feet, and electric shock devices, as well as severe restrictions on communication and movement.
In December 2025, Ukrainian authorities announced charges against Vyacheslav Perevozkyn, the head of the Kizel prison, citing his direct responsibility for the treatment of detainees and the overall security of the facility. The charges allege that he exacerbated Roschyna’s already critical condition upon her arrival at the prison and failed to provide necessary medical care.
Roschyna, a journalist who had been reporting from the front lines since the onset of the full-scale invasion, was initially detained by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on March 16, 2022. After being released on March 22, she was forced to record a video stating that she had no grievances against the Russian authorities.
She was reported missing on August 3, 2023, while covering events in occupied territories. Her family feared she had been captured again. They filed a missing person report with Ukrainian authorities on August 12, and later registered her case with various government bodies.
“The Ukrainian Security Service confirmed that Viktoriya was taken captive by the Russians. Officials indicated that many Ukrainian detainees remain unaccounted for in Russian prisons, and she may be among them,” her father stated.
News of Roschyna’s death emerged on October 10, 2024. A representative from Ukraine’s military intelligence confirmed that she was on a list for a prisoner exchange and was expected to return home soon. Following her death, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office announced that the investigation into her disappearance had been reclassified as a war crime involving intentional murder.
The death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriya Roschyna in a Russian prison has led to reported improvements in conditions for detainees at the facility. While some changes have been noted, the overall treatment remains harsh, and investigations into the circumstances of her death continue.