Ukraine’s Security Service: Arkadiy Babchenko Alive (Video, Online)

(updated) The organizer of the murder attempt has been arrested.

Ukraine’s Security Service officially stated that the death of journalist Arkadiy Babchenko was enacted, informs correspondent of the online publication Gordon.

"I’d like to greet Arkadiy Babchenko on his third birthday,” - said head of Ukraine’s Security Service Vasyl Hrytsak.

The special operation has been conducted with the highest level of clandestine security. Head of Ukraine’s Security Service Vasyl Hrytsak claims that the attempt at the life of Russian journalist Arkadiy Babchenko was committed by the veterans of the anti-terrorist operation in East Ukraine under the order of the Russian security services.

“Now I can inform the details of the special operation of the Security Service of Ukraine, due to which we managed not only to disrupt a cynical provocation, but to document the preparation of this insolent crime by the Russian security services,” - Ukrayinska Pravda quotes the statement of Vasyl Hrytsak.

"For the implementation of this plan, Russia’s security services recruited citizen of Ukraine G., who was instructed to find executors out of the former participants of the anti-terrorist operation,” - said Vasyl Hrytsak at the briefing in Kyiv.

The Present Time reports that the attempt at journalist Arkadiy Babchenko was staged. The man himself arrived to the press-conference dedicated to the investigation of the assassination attempt against him.

“As far as I know, this operation has been prepared for two months. This special operation is the result of the work done,” - Babchenko said. - “They saved my life, and I want to thank for this once again, but more large-scaled terrorist acts have been prevented.”

Babchenko learned that there had been plans to murder him, from the officers of the Security Service of Ukraine, a month ago. They showed him the dossier with a passport photo of his, and he made a conclusion that the instigators got the information with the help of the special services.

He had no choice to participate in this operation or refuse.

"I did my job. I am still alive,” – Babchenko finished his speech.

"First, I want to apologize for what all of you had to go through, because I buried friends and colleagues many times, and I know this sick feeling when you have to bid final farewell to your colleagues. It wouldn’t work any other way,” - he said.

The journalist also apologized specially to his wife “for all the hell she went through inthese two days”.

“Olechka, forgive me, there were no options here either," - Babchenko said.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor general Yuriy Lutsenko was a “dummy”.

The attempt at Arkadiy Babchenko was reported late in the evening on May 29. A few hours later the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine reported that the journalist had died from bullet wounds. The investigative bodies of Russia and Ukraine initiated criminal cases. And the Prime Minister of Ukraine, a few hours after reporting a crime, said that the Kremlin was behind the attack. Russia’s FSB called this statement a provocation.