NPR

'I Chose To Stay Alive,' Says Russian Journalist Who Faked His Death

Arkady Babchenko, fearing for his life, cooperated with Ukrainian authorities to stage his death and capture his would-be killer. Now come the ethical questions.
At a news conference on Thursday in Kiev, Arkady Babchenko answered critics of his staged death. Authorities had announced that he had been fatally shot at his home on Tuesday.

Two days after staging his death with the help of Ukrainian authorities, Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko is explaining how the plot unfolded and why he went along with it.

He was reported to have been fatally shot at his apartment in Kiev on Tuesday but reappeared at a news conference Wednesday. A month earlier, Ukrainian authorities had informed him that there was a hit out on him, he , showing him documents and photographs that could only have that triggered harassment and threats.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min readIndustries
China Makes Cheap Electric Vehicles. Why Can't American Shoppers Buy Them?
American drivers want cheap EVs. Chinese automakers are building them. But you can't buy them in the U.S., thanks to tariffs in the name of U.S. jobs and national security. Two car shoppers weigh in.
NPR2 min read
After A Serious Car Accident, A Man Pulled Over — And Continued To Help For Days
In 1997, Apryle Oswald got in a car accident. The man who responded went on to help for three more days — driving her dog to the vet and Oswald's boyfriend back and forth to the hospital.
NPR2 min readInternational Relations
Israeli Forces Take Control Of The Gaza Side Of The Rafah Crossing With Egypt
An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge.

Related Books & Audiobooks