Fake death ‘needed pig blood and morgue trip’

The Russian journalist who worked with Ukrainian authorities to fake his own death said yesterday that the elaborately staged murder including getting smeared in pig’s blood and taken to the morgue. Arkady Babchenko detailed the deception to fellow reporters for the first time since Ukrainian authorities revealed they arranged to make it look like the Kremlin critic was shot dead to foil an alleged plot on his life by Moscow’s security services. Babchenko, 41, said at a news conference in Kiev that he could have refused when Ukrainian security service officials approached him with the idea for the ruse about a month ago, but readily agreed. The Ukrainian agents told him the Russian security services had placed an order for his killing the month before.