Thrilling case of Russian journalist faking assassination in Ukraine

Russian journalist Arkadiy Babchenko (center) appeared healthy next to SBU leader Sergey Gritsak (left) at a press conference on Ukrainian television on May 30. Photo: Reuters

Speaking at a press conference on May 30, Sergey Gritsak, head of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), explained that the SBU had information about an assassination attempt on Babchenko and took action to prevent it.

Reporter Babchenko himself said that the fabrication of his death was part of a larger SBU operation to prevent "terrorist attacks" in Ukraine.

Babchenko, 41, is a war correspondent who has worked for several newspapers based in Moscow, Russia. He is the author of several books on military topics that have been translated into 16 different languages.

Babchenko moved to the Ukrainian capital Kiev to work in August 2017. On May 29, Ukrainian media reported that Mr. Babchenko was shot multiple times outside his home in Kiev and died on the way to the emergency room due to severe injuries.

According to RT, immediately after information about Babchenko's murder appeared, some Ukrainian officials rushed to accuse Russian intelligence agencies of being behind the incident. This was also the cause of the subsequent outbreak of controversy between Kiev and Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on May 30 expressing its joy that Babchenko was safe. However, the agency criticized the Ukrainian side for spreading fake news and using it for anti-Russian propaganda purposes.

Commenting on the new developments, on Interfax, Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate, called Babchenko's fake death one of a series of staged incidents aimed at discrediting Russia. Mr. Kosachev regretted that Babchenko had agreed to participate in this plan.