During meeting with Pope Francis, Zelenskyy talked about death of Roshchyna and asked to facilitate return of Ukrainians from russian captivity

During the meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in russian captivity and asked to facilitate the return of Ukrainians from russian captivity.

Zelenskyy announced this on the Telegram channel, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

"The issue of the return of our people home from captivity was the main issue during the meeting with Pope Francis. We count on the Holy See's assistance in the return home of Ukrainians captured by Russia," he said.

Zelenskyy noted that for Ukrainians, everything related to captured and deported people - adults and children, many civilians who are currently in prisons and camps in russia - remains extremely painful issues.

The President told Francis that the day before it became known about the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna in russian captivity.

He emphasized that many other journalists, public figures, community leaders from the occupied territory, even ordinary people who were captured during the russian occupation, remain in russian captivity.

According to a message from the President's Office, Zelenskyy thanked Francis for prayers for peace for Ukraine, spiritual closeness with Ukrainians, humanitarian aid and the Vatican's participation in the first Peace Summit.

The President talked about the work on the implementation of the Peace Formula, in particular about the conference on the return of captured and deported Ukrainians, which will be held on October 30-31 in Canada at the ministerial level. He invited the representative of the Vatican to take part in this event.

Zelenskyy noted that there are wounded, seriously ill women and children in russian captivity. Separately, Zelenskyy emphasized the captured journalists.

He asked the Pontiff to facilitate the return home of Ukrainian journalists, public figures, community leaders from the occupied territory, all captured. At the meeting, it was agreed that Ukraine would hand over the list of captured journalists.

"We know that there are more than 400 women in captivity in Russia. It has been accurately confirmed through the International Committee of the Red Cross and other sources that 1,700 civilians are in captivity. According to our data, this number may be significantly higher," Zelenskyy said.

The President emphasized that almost everyone who returns from captivity needs medical assistance and long-term rehabilitation.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the Prosecutor General's Office announced that in connection with the information about the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who died while in the captivity of the russian federation, the criminal proceedings opened on the fact of her disappearance were reclassified as a war crime combined with intentional murder.

On October 10, in Rome, Zelenskyy presented the Victory Plan for Ukraine to the Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni.

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