In a stunning development, Arkady Babchenko, 41, walked into a room of journalists in Kiev who had been expecting to get an update on his slaying.
He 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 officials offered a jaw-dropping explanation for his so-called death: to expose a Russian plot against him.
Two people, suspected of being the person who ordered the hit and the potential assassin, are in the custody of the security services, spokeswoman for the Ukraine Prosecutor General, Larisa Sargan, said later Wednesday.
The elaborate ruse raised many questions. Chief among them, why was it necessary to go to such extraordinary lengths to expose the plot, who was in on it, and what did Olechka Babchenko really see when she found the bleeding body of her husband?
At the news conference on Wednesday, none of these was addressed. Instead, flanked by Ukranian security officials, wearing a hoodie and occasionally flashing a sheepish smile, Babchenko launched into an explanation of the ploy.
He said Ukranian officials first told him about the threat against him, and their elaborate plan to thwart it, a month ago. Babchenko said he became convinced that Russian government agencies were involved in the alleged plot when he was shown his passport photo and personal documents, which he said could have been accessed by Russian special services.
"An offer was made to take part in this special operation," Babchenko said. "I had no choice but to cooperate."
The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, later revealed more details about the alleged plot. According to a statement released by the SBU, Russian special services recruited a Ukrainian citizen -- identified only as "G" -- who was tasked with finding, for a payment, perpetrators for a number of high-impact terrorist acts, including the assassination of Babchenko.
"He proposed to his friend, a former member of the ATO in the east of Ukraine, to execute, for $30,000, the contract kill on a Russian journalist, Arkady Babchenko. He has already transferred a deposit of $15,000," said Vasyl Hrytsak.
According to the SBU, "G" also received a dossier on Babchenko with detailed information about his journalistic work and private life, including data on the target himself, his wife, children and parents. Information included phone numbers, bank account details and passport data, the SBU said.
"G" faces a number of accusations, including aiding in the commitment of a terrorist act and endangering the life or health of a person to violate public safety. A pretrial investigation is underway.
