victoriia novikova
journalist, war crimes researcher
BIO
"I am a senior researcher on the Reckoning Project and an investigative journalist. I focus on war crimes committed during the Russian-Ukrainian war — including deportations, enforced disappearances, forced mobilization, and other forms of persecution of civilians. I also investigate human rights violations against children, especially in the context of indoctrination, abductions, and systemic identity erasure.
Born in Crimea, I previously worked with the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. I am a recipient of national and international awards in investigative journalism".
Born in Crimea, I previously worked with the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. I am a recipient of national and international awards in investigative journalism".
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Supported by: Reckoning Project and Emile Foundation
Project Types: reporting / photography / field research / ground operations
Supported by: Reckoning Project and Emile Foundation
Project Types: reporting / photography / field research / ground operations
articles
FEATURED ARTICLES
important stories
projects
Taken: Putin’s Stolen Children
It’s every parent’s worst fear. The nightmare of a child being taken. Thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Russia and their families are desperate to get them back. This true crime documentary, part detective story, part thriller, sees investigators trying to piece together what has happened and who is responsible. It’s a case that leads to the very top of the Russian state.
The story of the life and death of Oleksandr Yakushchenko, a teenager who was taken from Ukraine to Russia and committed suicide in his foster home
In the autumn of 2022, at least 8 children were moved to Russia from a child care home outside Kherson, Ukraine. Their traces got lost in Russia. We were in possession of the only clue—a group photo from the care home taken a few months before the war began. We have carried out our own investigation to find out what happened to the children in that photo. And why one of the foster children from that care home, who wanted to come back to his biological mother in Ukraine, will never do that
In the autumn of 2022, at least 8 children were moved to Russia from a child care home outside Kherson, Ukraine. Their traces got lost in Russia. We were in possession of the only clue—a group photo from the care home taken a few months before the war began. We have carried out our own investigation to find out what happened to the children in that photo. And why one of the foster children from that care home, who wanted to come back to his biological mother in Ukraine, will never do that
“He Was Buried in a Day Like a Dog”
Investigation. What happened to Ukrainian children moved to Russia?
photos
I take photos wherever I go — in the field or while traveling for personal inspiration. Artistic photography is another form of expressing my perspective and inner response to what I witness.
Ronneby, Sweden
The bronze statue “Enchantment”, created in 1880, now stands side by side with the temporary homes of Ukrainian refugees — people who are not settling into new lives abroad, but instead live each day with the hope of returning to a peaceful Ukraine
