Show Trials in Kiev: Babchenko’s "Murderer" Put In Detention Over Killing He Did Not Commit
Let's move on to another topic, where the show goes on. The Kiev court arrested a suspected organizer of the attempt on Arkady Babchenko. Boris German, who has long been producing weapons for the Ukrainian Army, has been put in detention. His guilt is unclear, as the murder was staged. And Babchenko himself gives spicy bits of his murder and resurrection.
Alexander Evstigneev reports on it.
Just yesterday he said that even his wife didn't know, all in the name of the special operation. Today, in front of cameras, Arkady is already flaunting: They even poured blood into his nostrils.
Arkady Babchenko: "A makeup artist arrived. He trained me, showed me how a person falls, how a punctured lung bleeds. The blood was real, it was pork blood".
Today Babchenko's press conference takes place in the same room where Pyotr Poroshenko clapped him on the back the day before and trumpeted his knowledge.
Pyotr Poroshenko: "I knew all about this, but no one in the administration did".
This, by the way, is illustrative of Ukraine: a world-scale lie and disinformation has been sanctioned by the head of state. Poroshenko believes that the new Ukrainian nation is being forged in such a way.
Pyotr Poroshenko: "This is a birthday for a great nation of 45 million people, which has incredibly successfully passed the test for statehood".
However, this statehood is still being built based on accusations against Russia. The attempt on Babchenko was habitually blamed on Moscow too even before Arkady's miraculous resurrection. The organizer was detained, today his name was revealed: Boris German. The head of the SBU seems to report that the staging was well-orchestrated, but theory about the involvement of Russian special services is already falling apart.
According to the Ukrainian paper "Country UA", Boris German is a Kiev businessman, a great friend of the army, supplying weapons to it. When the Ukrainian special services offered him the role of a super agent undercover, he says he could not refuse.
"The detained suspect in the Babchenko case insistently claims that the instigator is the SBU Counterintelligence Division, giving the personal data of the handler and his telephone number. But the investigation is firm, and the allegations paper says the instigator is "unestablished by the investigation".
The suspect was offered a plea bargain, that is, confession for leniency. He refused. A source in the Ukrainian special service told the media that German is already accused of a terrorist attack. The first impression is that of a provocation organized in a very unsophisticated way. The attempt to intimidate the client failed immediately We'll figure things out.
Journalists, analyzing the case of Babchenko are finding inconsistencies one after another. Why did the instigator give the hitman a photo of Arkady taken 15 years ago for his passport? There are thousands of fresh photos of him on the internet. Why does the dossier have his address and telephone in Moscow, but not in Kiev? Why did the Ukrainian police write the prominent physical characteristics of the pseudo-murderer on the sketch in Russian? By the way, the word "jeans" is misspelled. And, finally, why does Babchenko boast that he costs a lot? He speaks about $40,000, while the defendants in the case count $4,000 at most?
Arkady himself, having played his role and been offered Ukrainian citizenship, prefers to sit on the fence.
— So far, the SBU has given no evidence of the involvement of Russian special services. Why do you think?
— I don't know, you'd better ask the SBU.
Users of social networks are now discussing what to do with the funeral flowers at the entrance. The neighbors are feeling uncomfortable. Someone, apparently well aware of Babchenko's narcissism, wrote: "Leave the flowers, he'll be pleased".
Alexander Evstigneev, Alexander Shevchuk, Olga Alenkina for Vesti.
The staged assassination of Babchenko will undermine the credibility of the Kievan government. Here is survey data provided by the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington. Now the SBU should provide convincing evidence of the necessity of this spectacle.
Lyudmila Klyzhenko reports on the international reaction to the situation.
The International Federation of Journalists called the staging of the murder unacceptable, condemning the SBU's deception of millions of people. Another international organization, Reporters Without Borders, said that Ukraine's provocation was absolutely unacceptable.
Pauline Ades-Mevel, head of the RSF European and Balkan Office: "The first reaction of Reporters Without Borders to the news that Arkady Babchenko was alive was relief, but we condemn such methods of protecting journalists. We believe that nothing can justify the fact that this staging was organized by the secret services of Ukraine. I think it undermines the safety of journalists in general".
And by the way, Babchenko's Western colleagues are in agreement. Here's a tweet by a journalist of Channel 4, Britain.
"So now every time a journalist is murdered, those responsible will unleash their bots and propagandists to say it's fake news. Thanks, Ukrainian security services. That's really helpful to all who care about journalists".
It is, of course, very good that he is alive, but could it have been done in a less staged manner? That is the question asked by British Sky News. They believe that this performance will hamper everyone who tries to separate the truth from lies. In addition, British journalists do not believe in the honesty of Ukrainian special services.
Will the Ukrainian government provide evidence that they have in fact been able to identify the arrested man's handlers and convincingly finger the FSB in a wider plot aimed at destabilizing Ukraine? Or will this all fizzle out, like their investigation into Mr. Sheremet's murder, which seems to have gone nowhere".
Kiev's actions surprised Western politicians too. The head of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, Didier Reynders, believes that it all contradicts the European principles of disseminating information in the media. Germany is also waiting for Kiev's explanation.
Heiko Maas, German Foreign Minister: "As for the Babchenko case, first of all, we should be happy that he's alive. But the case raises many questions. Honestly, the information I have is not enough to come to any conclusion. I expect that when I'm in Kiev tonight, I'll get the information necessary to shape my opinion".
But journalists have already shaped an opinion on the finale of this story. British The Guardian said Babchenko's showing up at the press conference in the SBU was "in remarkably poor taste," comparing him to "a seaside magician revelling in the audience’s amazement as his sawn-in-half woman becomes whole again.
Lyudmila Klyzhenko, Anna Redkina, Matvei Popov for Vesti.