01/10/2025 Session
The Assembly today inaugurated the annual “Victory for Viktoria” commemoration to honour war correspondents and journalists who risk, and often lose, their lives defending the right to information and truth in conflict zones.
During the opening of the event in Strasbourg, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos recalled his own experience as a journalist in war zones: “The Victory for Viktoria Day that starts today, here in the premises of the Council of Europe, is a day to remind us of those who are fighting for the truth, for democracy, for the rule of law, for human rights. It is the least we can do to honour them – those who fight with their pen, their words, their speech for democracy.”
Yevheniia Kravchuk, member of the Ukrainian delegation, who originated the request, thanked the President for the initiative. She underlined the importance of this day in the context of the Assembly’s unanimous adoption of a resolution Journalists matter: the need to step up efforts to liberate Ukrainian journalists held in captivity by the Russian Federation, which calls for the immediate release of those unlawfully detained and paid tribute to those who will never return. “I thank the Assembly for the unanimous support of the PACE resolution on journalists, calling for immediate release and remembering those who will never return from the Russian prison, namely Viktoria Roshchyna.”
Two Ukrainian journalists recently released from Russian captivity also shared their testimonies.
Vladyslav Yesypenko, freelance journalist with RFE/RL’s Krym.Realii, freed in June 2025 after more than four years in prison, told parliamentarians: “Ukrainian journalists in the occupied territories are being exterminated today. I would like to remind everyone that during the Cold War, victory was not achieved by tanks, but by microphones. That’s why adopting the resolution is very important to us.”
Dmytro Khyliuk, a journalist with UNIAN, returned home in August 2025 after spending 1,271 days in captivity in Russia. He described the ongoing suffering of his colleagues: “In the Russian prison and captivity, I was tortured, just like the other 26 of my colleagues are being tortured today. I am very grateful that the resolution was unanimously adopted today, and I hope it will help bring my colleagues back home.”
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The initiative commemorates Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who was abducted and killed while reporting on Russia’s war against Ukraine, and symbolises the dangers faced by journalists worldwide. It aims to honour journalists killed or disappeared in conflict, promote freedom of expression and media independence as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, and support Council of Europe initiatives such as the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists. It also forms part of the Council of Europe’s Journalists Matter campaign, which calls for stronger protection of journalists and an end to impunity for crimes committed against them.
