Reuters
An anti-Kremlin journalist who reportedly was gunned down outside his apartment in Kiev stunned the crowd at a news conference in Ukraine Wednesday where officials said his death was faked to catch the people trying to kill him.
Arkady Babchenko appeared at the news conference called by the head of the Ukranian Security Service, Vasyl Grystak, and thanked everyone for mourning his death.
“I would like to apologize for what you have all had to go through,” Babchenko said.
Grystak said his agency had learned of the plot and thwarted it.
“According to information received by the Ukrainian security service, the killing of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko was ordered by the Russian security services themselves,” Grytsak said.
As part of the elaborate ruse, the national police on Tuesday said Babchenko, 41, who fled Russia last year, was shot a number of times in his back and was found by his wife covered in blood.
Babchenko apologized to his wife, who wasn’t part of the scam.
“Olechka, I am sorry, but there were no options here,” he said. “I’m sorry for making you live through this. I’ve buried my own friends and colleagues many times myself.”
As he appeared in the flesh at the news conference, mourners unaware of the turn of startling events gathered outside his apartment building to offer their respects and leave flowers.
Babchenko, known as one of Russia’s best war reporters, spoke about having to leave the country because of threats that he and his family would be harmed.
Grystak said a Ukranian citizen who was working with Russia to carry out his assassination had been arrested.
On Tuesday, the police in Kiev announced Babchenko’s death and said his work as a journalist was probably the cause, adding that they hadn’t been able to speak to his wife because she was in shock.
Ukranian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman quickly blamed Russia.
“I am confident that the Russian totalitarian machine did not forgive him his honesty and principled stance,” Groysman posted on Facebook.
“The killers should be punished,” he said.
Reacting to the fake death, Russia said it would assist in the investigation if asked by Ukraine even as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blasted the country as dangerous for journalists.
“We know that many people are dying, many journalists are dying, journalists are thrown into prison for doing journalist work. We consider this unacceptable, we believe that this should be the topic for a very tough international reaction that will encourage the Ukrainian authorities to take effective measures to rectify the situation,” he said.