Babchenko is alive. His death was staged

Death of Russian opposition journalist Arkadiy Babchenko was staged. This was announced by the head of SBU Vasyl Hrytsak on May 30 at his briefing in Kyiv, Hromadske reports. “I would express my deep condolences to the family of Arkadiy Babchenko, but I will not do it. I want to congratulate his family, all of us, all the world that watches this. And to congratulate Babchenko with his third birthday”, - Vasyl Hrytsak said. Babchenko himself appeared after this. As SBU head said, the agency knew that Babchenko's assassination is being prepared, and prevented this crime, “Detector media” reports. “SBU had information that terrorist act and assassination of RF citizen Arkadiy Babchenko is being prepared. We got to the people who had this information, established confidential cooperation, they helped to prevent this assassination, this terror act. Irrefutable evidence of activities of RF special services on the territory of Ukraine was collected. I thank Babchenko and his family. Arkadiy was warned beforehand, he was under control, his family was forewarned. The operation was conducted by SBU in top conspiration conditions, on need-to-know basis only”, Vasyl Hrytsak said. He also added that Russian special services recruited citizen of Ukraine to kill Babchenko, and paid him 30 thousand dollars for this (leaving 10 more thousand dollars from the total amount allocated for this to himself). The agent who offered the money planned to leave Ukraine and go to Russia via third country after the crime, Hromadske reports. He paid 15 thousand dollars to the person who was supposed to carry out assassination in advance. The Russian agent, according to Hrytsak, also had an assignment to purchase weapons and explosives and to make stashes on the territory of central Ukraine - 30 assault rifles, hundreds of kilograms of explosives, as well as mortar shells and ammunition. This agent was detained in Kyiv three hours before the briefing, head of SBU informed.