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Babchenko's staged death and its aftermath
Summary
A retrospective on the reported shooting of a Russian journalist in Kyiv and the operation that followed.
What happens when a reported assassination turns out to be a performance? On 31 May 2018, that question hung over Kyiv, a day after Arkady Babchenko, a Russian journalist, appeared on live television to say his killing had been staged.
The story began on 29 May 2018, when it was reported that Babchenko had been shot dead near his home in Kyiv. The news was carried as part of the wider Ukrainian crisis coverage of the time.
On 30 May 2018, the picture changed. Babchenko, reported killed the previous day, appeared on live television and said the assassination had been staged. The Ukrainian Security Service then revealed that the event had been arranged as part of an operation to catch those who were trying to kill him.
By 31 May 2018, the sequence was established: a reported murder on 29 May, and a public reappearance and official explanation on 30 May. The operation, as described by the Security Service, was aimed at the people behind the attempt on his life.
