Russian war correspondent faked his own death to catch would-be assassin, failed to tell his wife

Veteran Russian war correspondent Arkady Babchenko, who "was shot three times in the back as he left his apartment in Kiev" on Tuesday, showed up at a press conference on Wednesday, where he was extremely and undeniably alive. The Ukrainian Security Service explained to a stunned room that Babchenko had faked his death in order to capture assassins who were trying to kill him, The Associated Press reports.

In an even crueler plot twist, Babchenko had apparently not even let his wife in on the scheme — she evidentially believed he was dead just like everyone else. "Special apologies to my wife," Babchenko said at the press conference, as translated by Reuters' Polina Ivanova. "Olechka, I am sorry, but there were no options here. The operation took two months to prepare. I was told a month ago. As a result of the operation, one person has been captured, he is being held."

Babchenko additionally "thanked everyone who was mourning his death," AP writes. Watch him come back from the dead at the press conference below. Jeva Lange

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up