My goal was to stay alive, ‘dead’ Russian journalist tells critics
THE Russian journalist who faked his own death as part of an elaborate ploy to foil an alleged Kremlin assassination plot has hit back at critics who said the stunt would play into the hands of purveyors of fake news.
Arkady Babchenko, who was reported to have been murdered in Kiev on Tuesday night, has faced mounting criticism from media freedom groups since he was revealed to be safe and well on Wednesday afternoon.
In his first detailed comments since the incident, he said the plot, in which he was doused in pig’s blood and driven to a morgue, was the “only way” to thwart a genuine threat.
“Everyone who says this undermines trust in journalists: what would you do in my place, if they came to you and said there is a hit out on you?” he said at a press conference in Kiev yesterday. “My goal was to stay alive and ensure the safety of my family. That is the first thing I am thinking about. Journalistic standards are the last thing I am thinking about now,” he added.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said the deception succeeded in securing the arrest of the man who they claimed had received $40,000 (£30,000) from Russian intelligence agencies to organise hits on Mr Babchenko and 30 others.
But the claims have been questioned by media freedom groups who have wondered whether the damage done to the credibility of reports of genuine murders outweighed the benefits.
“By spreading false evidence about his murder, Ukrainian authorities have seriously eroded the credibility of information,” Philippe Leruth, the president of the International Federation of Journalists, said in a statement.
He called the lie “intolerable”. Ukrainian authorities said critics failed to grasp the realities of the situation.
Last night, a Kiev court ordered the detention of a man who prosecutors say was involved in the plot, and who had handed over $15,000 to a would-be killer. Borys Herman, the co-owner of a weapons manufacturer, said he had been contacted by someone in Russia about plans to kill Babchenko.
He claimed he turned this information over to the Ukrainian authorities and worked on counter-intelligence operations with them.