Russian journalist Babchenko alive, murder staged as Ukraine secret service operation

Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, who was reported killed in Kiev, showed up at a news conference in Ukraine on Wednesday as the country's security service (SBU) says it was its operation.

Head of the SBU Vasyl Hrytsak said the agency received information about the preparation of an assassination attempt on Babchenko's life.

"Now I can report details of a special operation of the Security Service of Ukraine, which enabled us not only to break the cynical provocation, but also to document the preparations of the Russian special services for this flagrant crime," Hrytsak said.

"I could condole Arkady Babchenko's family, but I will not do it," he said, instead congratulating Babchenko on his "survival" as he entered the room.

Reports of Babchenko's death appeared late Tuesday, claiming the journalist was shot in the back several times.

Babchenko, who wrote for opposition media, was one of Russia's best-known war correspondents.

The 41-year-old served in the Russian army during the first separatist war in Chechnya during the 1990s and later became a journalist. He worked as a military correspondent for several Russian media outlets.

Babchenko had been scathingly critical of the Kremlin in recent years. He left Russia in February 2017, saying he was receiving threats and concerned he might be jailed.

He first moved to Prague, then in the fall moved to Kiev, where he worked as a host for the Crimean Tatar TV station, ATR.