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Russian diplomat believes Babchenko might have faced different finale in SBU stunt

Babchenko’s life is the most important factor in the case, Maria Zakharova says

MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko, whose assassination was faked by Ukraine’s state security service [SBU], might face a totally different finale in the course of this stunt and, quite possibly, he did not realize the SBU had obviously reserved different outcomes for him, too, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokesperson, Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"Judging from the performance put up on television, he simply didn’t understand what they had done to him," Zakharova tweeted in Facebook. "He believed sincerely - and in most probability, very sincerely he was saving himself and simultaneously doing a great thing, which hypothetically could also be highly profitable."

"I think it was in exactly this tonality that the Ukrainian secret services had been attuning him to the job," she said. "Then they grabbed him and used him for their petty purposes, turning him into their perpetual hostage."

"Thank God he has survived, although I think they had considered different options for him, too," Zakharova wrote. "I think the amassed reaction from western NGOs that has come at last and their demands that Kiev do an immediate investigation has luckily prolonged Babchenko’s health insurance."

She recalled the main gladdening thing was that Babchenko had survived. She also said it was astonishing that many of Babchenko’s colleagues and friends turned away from him upon learning his death had been a stunt.

"Ladies and gentlemen, take it as it is, because Babchenko’s life is the most important factor," Zakharova wrote.