Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko defends staged death

RUSSIA - Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko hit back yesterday at critics of his staged death, saying in a FACEBOOK post that the operation was carried out in response to a real threat to his life.

Babchenko stunned observers when he showed up alive at a news conference on Wednesday -- a day after his reported killing -- to declare that his murder was faked by Ukrainian security services to foil an assassination plot against him.

While welcoming the fact he is alive, media outlets and the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international media watchdog, have since raised questions over the ethics of the operation, its impact on public trust in the media and its potential exploitation by Russia.

In his FACEBOOK post, Babchenko, 41, ridiculed those who alleged that the Ukrainian authorities carried out the operation ‘just for a laugh’, saying that Ukraine was in a state of war and perpetual crisis.

“They [Ukrainian authorities] are all, like, ‘We are kinda bored, we have nothing to do ... Let’s paint Babchenko’s back with blood, make his face a giant bloodclot, take him to the morgue and say that it was like that from the beginning?” And all these guys were like: “Hell yeah, let’s do it! Because we really have nothing else to do.” Babchenko, a critic of the Kremlin, added sarcastically: “Well, okay, if it happened in Russia -- nothing there surprises me anymore.”

The Russian journalist also hit out at press and others who questioned his journalistic ethics over the staged affair.

Responding to a link to a roundup of UK newspaper headlines posted by a commenter, Babchenko said: “Dear British press. If you want to do good -- give me a UK passport and protection. Then you can teach me how to protect my family.” At Wednesday’s news conference, Babchenko told reporters he’d had ‘no choice but to cooperate’ with Ukrainian security services after they told him about the threat against him, and their elaborate plan to thwart it.

He also apologized to his wife, Olechka -- who on Tuesday was reported to have found him bleeding to death at his apartment -- for the ‘hell’ she had gone through. Ukrainian security services have two suspects in custody in connection with the plot to murder Babchenko, Larisa Sargan, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General, told CNN on Wednesday. They are suspected of being the person who ordered the hit and the person who pulle the trigger.

However, the Committee to Protect Journalists called Wednesday for Ukrainian authorities to disclose why an ‘extreme measure’ such as staging Babchenko’s murder was necessary. (CNN)