Russian journalist “shot dead” suddenly appears in Ukraine
Ukraine has admitted staging the death of a Russian dissident journalist to prevent Moscow's real assassination plot.
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Russian journalist Babchenko (center) attends a press conference in Kiev, a day after news of his assassination. Photo:Reuters. |
Less than 24 hours after media reported that journalist Arkady Babchenko died from three bullet wounds to the back on the stairs of his apartment, he appeared healthy today at a press conference in Kiev in a surprising development.
Vasyl Grytsak, the head of Ukraine's security service, said his death was faked and part of a "special operation" to prevent a real assassination attempt on him.
"Thanks to this operation, we were able to disrupt a sinister plot and gain evidence of how Russian security forces were planning to carry out this crime,"AFPGrytsak added.
News of the "death" of the Russian dissident journalist has sparked an exchange of accusations between Kiev and Moscow, while photos and flowers have been left by people at the Russian embassy in Kiev.
Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, have accused Russia of being behind the killing, something Moscow denies. "The Ukrainian prime minister spoke about how the Russian secret services carried out the killing," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "This kind of behavior in international relations is sad."
