The Russian journalist and Kremlin critic widely reported murdered, is in fact alive. ????Strolling into a press conference in Ukraine, Arkady Babchenko thanked those mourning his staged assassination.

According to the Associated Press, the head of Ukraine’s security services explained the agency faked the journalist’s death as part of a sting to catch those trying to kill him.

Police say so far they’ve made one arrest.????The shocking development came after it’d been reported the 41-year-old was shot multiple times in the back outside his apartment building and was found by his wife where he later “died” in the ambulance.

At the conference he reportedly apologized to his wife, since she wasn’t in on the operation.????Babchenko left Russia after facing repeated threats.

At the time of his reported death Moscow had rejected accusations of being behind his murder calling it part of a smear campaign.

Now, the Russian Foreign Ministry saying it was happy Babchenko was alive.