INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Make up artists covered Babchenko's mouth, nose and the three bullet holes with pig bloodKIEV, Ukraine:
Anti-Kremlin journalist Arkady Babchenko, who has dismissed criticism of helping stage his own death, disclosed Thursday some details of the
ruse that fooled the world for a day.Babchenko made a shocking reappearance at a press conference in Kiev on Wednesday, more than 12 hours
after the Ukrainian authorities reported he had been shot dead at his home in a contract-style killing.Ukraine's SBU security service said
the ruse was meant to foil a real assassination plot against Babchenko ordered by Russia and has arrested the organiser of the crime."From
what I know, planning for the special operation got under way two months ago," Babchenko told journalists, adding he was brought into it one
month ago.Babchenko said that at first he was incredulous, and even angry at the SBU, but changed his mind when he saw the very detailed
information the hit man had on him.Babchenko left Russia in February 2017 after receiving threats, living first in the Czech Republic, then
in Israel, before moving to Kiev.He contributed to a number of media outlets including top opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta and is an avid
blogger, accusing Russian authorities of killing Kremlin critics and unleashing wars in Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere.After Babchenko agreed
to cooperate, they needed to cut down on his leaving his apartment."To reduce the danger we came up with a cover story that I had broken a
leg in order to explain why I wasn't leaving home," said Babchenko, who served as a soldier in both Russia's campaign's in Chechnya before
becoming a war correspondent.Despite the detailed planning the operation had to be rushed into action."They began to put pressure on the guy
(the hitman) because they had given him three weeks to carry it out," said Babchenko, adding they had planned to stage the killing on June
1.The day of the operation the make up artist arrived at his apartment at six in the morning."We had already thought out how it would
happen, that the murder would take place on the landing when I opened the door" to go inside, he said.Moreover, Babchenko said he was
instructed how to lay down like a dead person in order to fool any chance witness."I had real pig's blood
They covered my mouth, nose and the three bullet holes with it
And behold, I'm dead," said Babchenko.Then began the operation to deceive the media, the public, and most importantly, the person who
ordered the killing."My wife called the police, then the ambulance
The Berkut (police SWAT team) came in an instant, I didn't expect that
I want to congratulate them, they immediately checked the rooms, the safety of the stairwells, like in a film
They didn't know about the operation," said the journalist.Ukrainian authorities told the media that Babchenko had died in the ambulance,
but he said the show continued until "they closed the door of the morgue behind me.""There, they resuscitated me," said Babchenko.Between
the staged murder and his arrival at the morgue four hours had elapsed during which Babchenko successfully fooled the Ukrainian police and
the world.Then began the waiting: "I watched the news, how far they went in saying I was a nice guy."Eventually he was moved out of the
morgue to avoid being caught by a persistent journalist."I was taken to a safe location
It finished only at five in the morning
Then I could go to sleep."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a
