Arkady Babchenko

Arkady Arkadyevich Babchenko (Russian: Аркадий Аркадьевич Бабченко; born 18 March 1977[1]) is a Russian print and television journalist.[2][3] From 1995, Babchenko served in the communication corps in the North Caucasus while participating in the First Chechen War. He later volunteered for six months during the Second Chechen War.[3] After leaving the army in 2000 he worked as a war correspondent for more than a decade.[4] Since 2017 he has worked as a presenter for the (Kyiv based) TV channel ATR. In 2006 he published the book One Soldier's War, about his experiences in Chechnya.[3][5]

Arkady Babchenko
Babchenko in 2018
Babchenko in 2018
BornArkady Arkadyevich Babchenko
(1977-03-18) 18 March 1977
Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR
OccupationJournalist
LanguageRussian
NationalityRussian
Notable worksOne Soldier's War (2006)
Children7 (6 adopted)

It was reported on 29 May 2018 that Babchenko had been shot dead in his home in Kyiv, Ukraine.[6][7][8] The next day, he appeared in person at a press conference with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).[2] The SBU said it staged Babchenko's murder in order to arrest assassins allegedly recruited by Russian security services.[2][9]

Early life

Babchenko was born in 1977 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR.[10] One of his grandfathers was born in Henichesk, Ukrainian SSR.[11][nb 1] His maternal grandmother is Jewish.[12][13]

In 1995, while studying law in Moscow aged 18, Babchenko was conscripted into the Russian army and served until 2000 in the North Caucasus.[14] He served in the communication corps in the First Chechen War[15] and later volunteered for six months during the Second Chechen War.[3]

In June 2022, Facebook banned Babchenko's account,[16] with Babchenko saying in a post that he believed his strong reaction to Russian shelling of a mall in Ukraine led to the ban.[17]

Journalism and author

After leaving the armed forces in 2000, Babchenko worked as a war correspondent for more than a decade,[4] including for Moskovskij Komsomolets and Zabytyi Polk.[15]

Between 2002/2003 and 2006, the literary magazine Novy Mir published Babchenko's account of his experiences as a soldier in Chechnya, in a series of chapters titled "Ten Episodes About the War".[18][19][20] Novy Mir also published his short story "Alkhan-Yurt" (named after the Alkhan-Yurt massacre).[18][19] "Ten Episodes About the War" was published in book form by Eksmo in 2006 as Alkhan-Yurt.[18][19] It was translated and published in English as One Soldier's War.[21][22][23]

In March 2012, in an act of political persecution, a criminal case was initiated in Russia against Babchenko for "making public calls for mass riots" because of the publication of a post about the possible tactics of For Fair Elections movement protesters.[24]

Ukraine

In December 2016 Babchenko wrote on Facebook that he had "no sympathy, no pity" for members of the Alexandrov Ensemble choir and pro-government journalists who died in the 2016 Tu-154 plane crash near Sochi[25] en route to Syria.[26] Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Russian Service, Babchenko said that "we must be in one line; we must express sadness; we must appear sad -- and anyone who doesn't must be destroyed."[25] In a piece published by The Guardian on 24 February 2017, Babchenko claimed that in this Facebook post: "I did not call for anything or insult anyone. I just reminded my readers that Russia was indiscriminately bombing Aleppo, without recognising that dozens of children were dying in those bombs, their photographs making their way around the world."[26] In the backlash, his home address was revealed to the public, he then received personal threats and some people called for him to be stripped of his Russian citizenship.[4] Babchenko and his family fled Russia in February 2017, moving first to Prague.[nb 2] He subsequently moved to Kyiv with his family and started working as a presenter for the Kyiv-based Crimean TV channel ATR.[4][14][8] In April 2019 he said that he was permanently banned from Facebook.[28]

Staged death

International media reported on 29 May 2018 that Babchenko was assassinated as he returned to his apartment in Kyiv.[29][30] In a press statement, the Kyiv Police stated that Babchenko possibly could have been killed as a reprisal for his work as a journalist.[31] Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman claimed Russia was responsible for the assassination.[32] The head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, denied the involvement of Russia.[33]

Babchenko meeting with (from left to right) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, SBU head Vasyl Hrytsak, and General Prosecutor of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko on 30 May 2018.

The next day, Babchenko appeared alive and well on live Ukrainian television at a press conference held by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).[34] Babchenko had collaborated with the SBU for a month, conducting a secret operation.[35][36][37] According to the SBU, the murder had been staged to expose Russian agents.[2][38][39] Previously in Kyiv, vocal critics of Vladimir Putin, journalist Pavel Sheremet and politician Denis Voronenkov, had been assassinated in 2016.[2][40][41][42] Babchenko's wife said she knew her husband's death would be staged.[43] The SBU also said it had detained a Ukrainian suspect[2] (allegedly recruited by a Russian intelligence official), and an accomplice,[9] who was engaged in preparations for the contract killing of Babchenko.[44][45] The alleged assassin was reported to be helping the SBU with its investigation.[46] According to SBU head Vasyl Hrytsak, those who had wanted to assassinate Babchenko had been planning to kill 30 people in Ukraine.[47] The SBU claimed to have discovered this plot when one of the men approached to kill Babchenko revealed the plot to the security services.[2] Allegedly several people, including Ukrainian war veterans, had been offered for the contract killing.[2]

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the International Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders criticised the Ukrainian authorities for the staged death of Babchenko.[48][49] Babchenko and the Ukrainian authorities defended the operation, saying it was necessary to collect evidence.[43][50][51][52] Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (also) rejected criticism of the sting operation, claiming that because of it "The whole world saw the real face of our enemy. It is not Ukraine you should condemn but Russia."[42]

On 31 May a Ukrainian court had remanded Borys Herman in custody for allegedly having paid to a hired hitman after the news of the "killing" broke. Herman said that he had had no intention of killing the reporter and that he had co-operated with the Ukrainian counterintelligence. (In turn, the prosecutor stated that Herman was not a "secret agent" at all.)[50][53] Borys Herman is a businessman working for a Ukrainian-German weapons company and he is a son of Lev Herman, known for his deep-rooted ties to a famous Russian criminal authority of Ukrainian origin, Semion Mogilevich, who has many alleged links to top Russian officials.[54] Herman mentioned Vyacheslav Pivovarnik as a direct contractor of the assassination. Pivovarnik is the Ukrainian citizen, who according to some sources[55] cooperated with the former deputy of the State Duma Sergey Shishkarev. His location was not established; there was evidence that in February he left in an unknown direction.[56] The trial in the case of the attempt on Babchenko was held behind closed doors. Boris German pleaded guilty and made a plea bargain, and on August 30, 2018, the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv sentenced Herman to 4.5 years in prison. However, this was revealed to the public only two days later, by the head of the SBU Vasyl Hrytsak.[57] The verdict came into force 30 days later, but the text of the judgment was not made public at that time. German's lawyer refused to comment on the verdict, as well as on the existence of a plea bargain.[58] In November 2019, Herman was released, having served 1.5 years in prison.[59]

Self-imposed exile

Early November 2019 Babchenko relocated to Israel as a response to the election of Volodymyr Zelensky as President of Ukraine in April 2019.[60] However, other journalists in Ukraine have indicated he moved to "either Estonia or Finland."[61] After a period of vociferously insisting on Israel as his country of residence, Babchenko has employed a "no comment" policy regarding his permanent location. Nonetheless, he vows to return to Ukraine in the future claiming "Ukraine is my country. And I'm going to live there."[60]

After the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Babchenko on several occasions started public defamation campaigns of Russian opposition figures, including Viktor Shenderovich, using false arguments and quotes taken out of the context.[62]

Personal life

Babchenko is married.[63] He has six adopted children and a biological daughter.[24]

Publications

Authored
  • Alkhan-Yurt: Povesti i Rasskaz. Moscow: Yauza, 2006. ISBN 9785878491907. (In Russian)
    • One Soldier's War in Chechnya. London: Portobello, 2007. ISBN 978-1846271052. London: Portobello, 2008. ISBN 978-1846270406. Translated by Nick Allen. (In English)
    • One Soldier's War. New York: Grove, 2008. ISBN 9780802118608. Reprint edition; New York: Grove, 2009. ISBN 978-0802144034. Translated by Nick Allen. (In English)
    • La Guerra Más Cruel. Barcelona: Galaxia Gutenberg: Círculo de Lectores, 2008. ISBN 9788481097627. Translated by Joaquín Fernández-Valdés Roig-Gironella. (In Spanish)
    • Dziesięć Kawałków o Wojnie: Rosjanin w Czeczenii. Seria Terra incognita (Warsaw, Poland). Warszawa: Wydaw. W.A.B., 2009. ISBN 9788374145671. (In Polish)
    • La Guerra di un Soldato in Cecenia. Strade blu. Milano: Mondadori, 2011. ISBN 9788804606444. Translated by Maria Elena Murdaca. (In Italian)
    • Voĭna = Tlom. Moscow: ANF, 2016. ISBN 9785916715934. (In Russian)
  • How Free is the Russian Media? = Naskolʹko Svobodny Smi v Rossii?. Index on Censorship, vol. 37, no. 1. London: Routledge, 2008. OCLC 213859921.

Contributed
  • War & Peace: Contemporary Russian Prose. Glas New Russian Writing 40. Moscow: Glas, 2006. Edited by Natasha Perova and Joanne Turnbull. Includes Argun by Babchenko. ISBN 9785717200745. An anthology. Translated from Russian.

Awards

Notes
  1. On 31 May 2018 it appeared that the fact that Babchenko's grandfather was born in the Ukrainian SSR might fast track Babchenko for Ukrainian citizenship.[11]
  2. According to the Czech Interior Ministry Babchenko had not (there) applied for temporary or permanent residence or asylum in the Czech Republic.[27] A report in the Czech online portal Aktualne read that Babchenko had arrived in the Czech Republic in February 2017, but left a little less than six months after he lost the hope of obtaining a residence permit.[27]

References
  1. "Российский журналист Аркадий Бабченко" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 29 May 2018.
  2. "'Murdered' Russia journalist is alive". BBC News. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  3. "No quiet on the Chechen front". The Guardian. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  4. "Who was the Russian journalist shot dead in Kiev? Arkady Babchenko mini-profile". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  5. "When does a soldier's 'memoir' count as fact, and when as fiction?". The Independent. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. Roth, Andrew (29 May 2018). "Russian journalist and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko shot dead in Kiev". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  7. Carroll, Oliver (29 May 2018). "Russian journalist and Kremlin critic killed in Kiev". The Independent. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  8. "Russian journalist shot dead in Kiev". BBC News. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  9. "'Murdered' Ukrainian journalist walks into press conference". News.com.au. 31 May 2018.
  10. "Приёмная мать из Москвы годами оформляет документы на детей". ОТР. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. (in Ukrainian) Babchenko told about plans for the future and Ukrainian citizenship, Ukrayinska Pravda (31 May 2018)
  12. "Journalist who faked death had come to Israel after fleeing Russia". The Times of Israel.
  13. "Jewish journalist joins ranks of stranger-than-fiction faked deaths". The Times of Israel.
  14. Harding, Luke (30 May 2018). "How ex-soldier Arkady Babchenko became an enemy of the Kremlin". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  15. Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko is shot and killed in Kiev, Meduza (29 May 2018)
  16. "Бабченко навсегда забанили в Facebook". LIGA (in Russian). 15 April 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  17. "Аркадию Бабченко удалили аккаунт ФБ". site.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  18. "There's no coming home from war: Yuri Saprykin remembers Arkady Babchenko". Meduza. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  19. "A man made by war: Why we'll remember journalist and writer Arkady Babchenko". Meduza. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  20. Sinatti, Piero (October 2011). "Chechnya: The Ghost of New Civil War" (PDF). Eastwest. 38: 60.
  21. Wright, Evan (17 February 2008). "The fog of war". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 31 May 2018 – via LA Times.
  22. "A soldier's memoir of Chechnya". Daily Telegraph. 20 December 2007. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 31 May 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  23. Fischer, Tibor (9 December 2006). "Review: Glas 40 – War and Peace". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  24. "Russian journalist Babchenko shot dead in Kyiv: All details". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  25. "Some Plane-Crash Reactions Prompt Calls For Soviet-Style Law On Dissent". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 28 December 2016.
  26. Babchenko, Arkady (24 February 2017). "The 'unpatriotic' post on Facebook that meant I finally had to flee Russia". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  27. "Journalist Babchenko did not apply for residence or asylum – Czech Interior Ministry". Interfax-Ukraine. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  28. "Аркадий Бабченко сообщил, что Facebook забанил его пожизненно". 15 April 2019.
  29. Российский журналист Аркадий Бабченко убит в Киеве (in Russian). Euronews. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  30. "Russian Journalist Shot and Killed in Ukrainian Capital". The New York Times. 29 May 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  31. "Полиция назвала версией убийства Аркадия Бабченко его профессиональную деятельность". Meduza. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  32. Премьер-министр Украины: к убийству Бабченко причастна Россия. Радио Свобода (in Russian). RL/RFE. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  33. В ФСБ сравнили обвинения в убийстве Бабченко с "делом Скрипаля" (in Russian). Interfax. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  34. "Arkady Babchenko: Gasps and cheers as 'murdered' journalist appears". BBC News. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  35. Oliphant, Roland (30 May 2018). "'Murdered' journalist Arkady Babchenko turns up alive after death staged to 'expose Russian plot'". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 May 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  36. "Russian dissident journalist reported shot dead in Kiev appears at press conference". The Independent. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  37. Roth, Andrew (30 May 2018). "Ukraine reveals it staged 'murder' of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  38. "Babchenko: I became involved in SBU's special operation month ago". KyivPost. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  39. "Arkady Babchenko: Ukraine staged fake murder of journalist". BBC News. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  40. Russian journalist and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko shot dead in Kiev, The Guardian (29 May 2018)
  41. Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko shot dead in Kiev, Financial Times (29 May 2018)
  42. "Arkady Babchenko's 'killing' polarises Ukraine and Russia". Al Jazeera. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  43. Harding, Luke (31 May 2018). "Arkady Babchenko tells media he was taken to morgue for staged 'murder'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  44. Journalist Babchenko alive: His "assassination" was SBU's special operation, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (30 May 2018)
  45. Organizer of Babchenko 'murder' detained in Kyiv, Interfax-Ukraine (30 May 2018)
  46. (in Ukrainian) Babchenko's "killer" collaborated with the SBU, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 May 2018)
  47. SBU chief says organizer of attempt on Babchenko planned to kill 30 people in Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine (30 May 2018)
  48. "Ukraine condemned for faking murder". BBC. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  49. Harding, Luke (31 May 2018). "Arkady Babchenko's fake murder: questions that need answering". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  50. "Arkady Babchenko: Suspect remanded in reporter's hoax death case". BBC News. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  51. "Lutsenko, Hrytsak to Western diplomats: Special operation on Babchenko allowed to receive information on other potential victims". Interfax-Ukraine. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  52. Walker, Shaun (5 June 2018). "Ukraine's president defends faked murder of Russian journalist". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  53. Musafirova, Olga (1 June 2018). «Какой я бандит?!» – Организатор «убийства» Бабченко на суде неожиданно заявил о работе на контрразведку Украины. Новая газета (in Russian). Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  54. Nemtsova, Anna; Dickey, Christopher (6 June 2018). "How That Journalist's Faked Murder Exposed Russia's Gangsters and Spies". Daily Beast. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  55. Mironenko, Peter (2 June 2018). "The major stories you need to understand Russia (An insider view, in 5 minutes)". The Bell. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  56. Кокорева, Мария; Солопов, Максим (1 June 2018). Компания экс-депутата Думы объяснила связь с фигурантом «дела Бабченко». РБК (in Russian). Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  57. "Суд Киева приговорил обвиняемого в организации покушения на журналиста Аркадия Бабченко к 4,5 годам колонии". Эхо Москвы. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  58. "Дело Бабченко: первый приговор в режиме секретности" (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  59. "Организатор покушения на журналиста Бабченко вышел на свободу" (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  60. (in Ukrainian) The journalist Babchenko left Ukraine: The boy said, the boy did, Ukrainska Pravda (3 November 2019)
  61. ""То ли в Эстонию, то ли в Финляндию". Киселев рассказал об отъезде Бабченко из Украины".
  62. "Проукраинские активисты облили Виктора Шендеровича кетчупом на концерте в Вильнюсе. Две недели назад его занесли в базу «Миротворца»". Meduza (in Russian). 11 May 2023.
  63. "Про "пятый пункт" и пятую колонну". The New Times. 14 April 2014.
  64. Биография Аркадия Бабченко (in Russian). TASS. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  65. В Екатеринбурге состоялась презентация книги юного писателя, инвалида детства (in Russian). Православие.Ru. 22 March 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  66. Moldes, Christopher (15 December 2018). "Russian reporter who faked his own murder named a 'person of the year' by TIME magazine". Global Voices. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
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