Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko (right) with Vasyl Grytsak, the head of Ukraine's security service at the news conference. Pic/AFP

Ukraine admitted yesterday it had staged the murder of anti-Kremlin journalist Arkady Babchenko in order to foil an attempt on his life by Russia, a stunning development in a case that had attracted global headlines. Less than 24 hours after it was reported that Babchenko had died from three gunshots to the back in the stairwell of his apartment building in an apparent contract-style killing, he appeared alive and well at a press conference in Kiev. The head of Ukraine's security service Vasyl Grytsak said that his death was faked as part of a "special operation" to pre-empt a real plot to kill him. "Thanks to this operation we were able to foil a cynical plot and document how the Russian security service was planning for this crime," Grytsak added.